


Stolen Moments

by Taste_of_Suburbia



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Awkwardness, Bonding, Brotherly Love, Claiming, Consequences, Cuddling & Snuggling, De-Aged Dean Winchester, Depression, Drama, Emotional Constipation, Episode: s03e11 Mystery Spot, Episode: s05e04 The End, Episode: s05e19 Hammer of the Gods, Episode: s07e11 Adventures in Babysitting, Family, Fluff, Friendship, Guilt, Hallucinations, Healing, Horror, Human Castiel, Human Gabriel, Humor, Hurt Dean Winchester, Hurt/Comfort, Jealousy, Kidnapping, Lust, M/M, Meet the Family, Mischeviousness, Murder, Mutual Pining, Nightmares, Obsessive Behavior, Pagan Gods, Possessive Behavior, Post-Purgatory, Promises, Protective Dean Winchester, Protective Gabriel, Protective Sam Winchester, Purgatory, Romance, Sam Is Scarred For Life, Seasons 1-7, Seduction, Self-Sacrifice, Self-Worth Issues, Stubborn Idiots, Suicide, Torture, Tragedy, Traumatized Dean Winchester, Twisted and Fluffy Feelings, Witch Curses, Witchcraft, unrelated drabbles
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-10-11
Updated: 2015-05-06
Packaged: 2017-11-16 03:14:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 28
Words: 19,515
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/534861
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Taste_of_Suburbia/pseuds/Taste_of_Suburbia
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's all they have right now; the little moments, the perfect memories that they're constantly trying to create.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Distractions

**Author's Note:**

> Ratings anywhere from K-M  
> Dean/Gabriel is the main pairing, but there may be some more along the way  
> Just a place where I'm going to put little Dean & Gabe snippets. They're basically going to be anywhere from a few hundred to a thousand words, cause I want to practice more with shorter stuff, but some of them may be a bit longer. Enjoy and please review if you happen to like.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dean’s researching, well, he was before he showed up anyway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Mature, Spoilers for Season 7
> 
> Set to Snow Patrol’s ‘Grazed Knees’

_~Just give a second thought_

_What if we don’t get caught~_

 

Sam literally shoves him out the door with no warning and starts up the newest piece of crap car they’ve managed to get ahold of, sending him away to the library. Dean doesn’t actually mind being around torn up old books though, at least there’s silence and a certain solace he can’t find other than with a drink.

It’s the researching part that freaking sucks.

As he makes his way along the endless shelves of books he breathes in their musty scent, allows it to clear his head of any cobwebs that have been cluttering it recently. He’s hungry, _starving_ but it’s also kinda nice to be here. Away from it all for just a little while.

Dean settles down at a table near the back of the library, flips open what looks to be a hundred year old book to the first page when two hands cover his eyes and a body leans dangerously close.

“Guess who it is.”

He smiles and says the magic word, _his_ name before the hands are gone and his chair is forcefully turned around. Gabriel’s lips descend on his own instantly and his mouth reeks of butterscotch and saltwater taffy.

It’s everything about the archangel that Dean absolutely loves.

He’s about to make the kiss deeper and more desperate, because right now he is dangerously desperate. Gabriel pulls away before he can though, takes the human’s hand and yanks him off the chair before dragging him away, over to more bookshelves.

“Whoa, hold up, Gabe," but he doesn’t stop, just tightens his grip on Dean and walks incredibly faster.

Dean laughs a little in amazement, “Where are you taking me?”

He’s barely able to think before he’s suddenly shoved up hard against a bookshelf, Gabriel kissing him passionately, not quite ferocious yet but he has plenty of time for that. He wonders if the archangel wants to tear off his mouth and eat it or something because of how hard he’s kissing him.

Dean moans in protest when he pulls away, wanting more than he knows he can handle.

“We’re gonna get caught you know.” He looks around nervously, sees the aisle they’re on is vacant but it might not be for long. Plus, the library is so eerily quiet that anybody nearby would easily know what they’re up to.

The archangel shrugs his shoulders as he grins wickedly, “Who cares? I finally get a moment alone with you and you think I’m gonna give that up for anything?”

Dean knows that he wouldn’t for anything either and he proves this by slamming the archangel against the bookshelf across from the one he’s currently squished up against. He kisses him ferociously, ecstatically and Gabriel reciprocates the urge with a certain ‘out of nowhere’ gentleness that leaves the hunter breathless.

“Fuck," he kisses Gabriel harder, lets his tongue explore. “I want you so badly right now.”

“Me too, Deano. Me too.”

Dean figures he’ll convince Sammy to let him do the research more often.


	2. Not Another Reason

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He wants to strangle Castiel the moment he tells him he left, his absence tainting what's left of him. Because he loves Cas, so much but it isn't enough and it never will be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mature, Spoilers for Season 5's 'The End'
> 
> Set to Paradise Lost's new single 'Honesty In Death'

_~In amidst the madness_  
_That only tears into myself~_

 

Dean doesn’t want it to be another reason. Another reason to go on the suicidal quest to kill Lucifer, now in his beloved brother’s form. He doesn’t want to remember the last moment he saw Gabriel’s fading amber eyes, heard mysterious words that made no sense telling the human he would be back. 

That they would see each other again. 

The archangel didn’t come back. Cas was left behind, Cas chose to stay maybe out of pity, maybe even because he was sick of being an angel. It doesn’t matter though, the angel who saved his ass from the pit, who supposedly fell head over heels in love with him stuck by his side. 

He forgot that sometimes when he drowned himself in whiskey and blood from when he ganked those damn Croatoans. Forgot what Gabriel looked like some of those lonely nights too as he gazed up at the stars and wondered if the archangel would just fall out of the sky and claim he was sorry for taking so long. 

After a few months, Dean had that gut instinct that he wasn’t coming back. 

So he set his sights on Lucifer, made that his mission, something he would die trying to complete. And on the days where Castiel would try to shake some sense into him, smother him with kisses which Dean didn’t blame him for because he was always as high as fucking hell, he envisioned Gabriel saying the same things, his lips on Dean’s eyelids as he drifted off into oblivion, his candy coated mouth claiming his own in furious, unquenchable passion. 

When past Dean comes he envies him because of what he still has, what he could still make if he broke through the pigheadedness and denial and threw himself at Gabriel like there was nothing else in the world that mattered to him. Back then, there was nothing else but Gabriel. 

And then when Lucifer in his brother’s skin grabs him, the second he falls and the black crowds every crevice of his vision, blacks out who he is and everything he’s ever wanted to be, he sees Gabriel. He stands there smiling, his arms outstretched, amber eyes as vivid and love-filled as ever and fingers grasping longingly onto his naked skin. 

Dean wants him so much it hurts. 

It’s funny, but in that moment he gives a silent prayer to past Dean to stop repressing his feelings and get with Gabe, because he knows how much he loves him, hell, he’s already been through that time and time again. 

At least he doesn’t have another reason to hate him when Gabriel takes him in his grip and gives him nothing but happiness.


	3. Guardian

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Frank’s not too sure if what he saw was a dream or not. One thing he knows for certain is that those two boys, especially the eldest, have someone real special looking out for them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Teen, Spoilers for Season 7’s ‘Adventures in Babysitting’
> 
> Set to Finger Eleven’s ‘One Thing’

_~But you should be mine_  
_Across that line~_

 

He must doze off for only a second because the next time he looks up someone is standing over the Winchester boy and he’ll be damned if he isn’t panicking at that sight. 

His hands reach for the rifle tucked away behind his desk and he aims before he speaks. You know what they say, ‘shoot first and ask questions later’. And this situation isn’t any different as far as he’s concerned. 

“Put your hands up and turn around," he demands, fully prepared to shoot this guy down if he so much as touches Dean. _How the hell did he even get in here in the first place?_

“Easy, Frank.” _Shit, he knows his name. Not a good sign at all._ “If I wanted to kill him I would have already done it.”

Frank only narrows his eyes and edges closer to the guy, showing him he means business as he lifts the rifle higher. His eyes flit down momentarily to Dean, who’s still sleeping and completely oblivious to the visitor who literally just appeared out of nowhere and for a reason that Frank half wants to know and half doesn’t want to know. Maybe he should just shoot him and be done with it, then again, he’s been turning a bit more curious lately ever since this whole leviathan mess. 

Not to mention he really shouldn’t be waking the kid up because he was dead on his feet when he dropped by. 

When he looks back up he notices that he was looking down at Dean as well. And there’s something that’s written on his face momentarily before he looks back at Frank. Something that makes him think that this mysterious guy knows Dean. 

And more importantly, that Dean knows him. 

“Maybe you should put that thing down. I’m kinda uneasy around guns.”

He scoffs, “Yeah right. Nice try, buddy, but you’re not making me put down anything.”

The guy gives him what looks to be a warning glance before he ignores Frank and his gun completely and bends down to get a closer look at Dean. This makes him even more nervous. 

“Don’t touch him," he snaps when his fingers brush against Dean’s knuckles. 

He can see from where he’s standing though that he clearly means the Winchester no harm. His movements are slow and gentle and cause no reason for alarm. Frank wonders not for the first time why he still stands there and stares, maybe because he’s never seen something quite like this before. 

“Who are you?”

He sighs softly, “I’m Gabriel. Now would you please put that thing down?”

Frank doesn’t know why, but like a complete idiot he puts the rifle back behind his desk. 

“Promise me you’ll watch over them. Especially him," his lips brush across Dean’s forehead.

Frank’s left speechless, even if he wanted to say something he wouldn’t know what to say in the slightest. He wants answers but then again the way this Gabriel guy is looking at Dean screams friendship, he would even go so far as to say intimacy. That’s not possible though because neither of the boys ever mentioned him and…

He really shouldn’t be allowing this right now, but when he glances up from Dean to look at Gabriel again he’s gone. Vanished. Into thin air. 

Frank wonders what his story is.


	4. The Horror

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anywhere else in the world is where Sam would rather be right now than in this car with these three disturbing, crazy people.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Teen, Spoilers for Season 6
> 
> Set to Shakira’s ‘Loca’

_~And I’m crazy, but you like it_  
_You like that it ain’t easy~_

 

“So," both Winchester brothers jump as another figure pops up in the backseat. Sam glares at him through the mirror, eyes the lollipop he’s sucking and just wishes he could light it on fire with a single look. “Where are we headed?”

“We are not headed anywhere," Sam snaps. “As far as I recall, this is a hunt for Dean and I. Not including you.”

Gabriel’s eyebrows rise in shock and feigned insult. _Oh why can’t he just go away?_ “Jeez, Sam, take a chill pill will ya? I didn’t come here to see you anyway.”

Sam turns towards his brother, currently in the passenger seat, for a split second and fails to catch the aggravation that should be in his eyes. Instead there is amusement and happiness and what looks to be lust. 

_As if my day could get any worse._

The two have been trying to hide it from him, primarily Dean, but it’s not exactly a secret what Dean and Gabriel are forming. He can see the way in which they look at each other, notices the nights Dean sneaks out when he thinks his baby brother’s sleeping. 

He just got his soul back and now this has to happen?

As if Castiel wasn’t bad enough, Gabriel has to pop up at the most awkward of moments too, scarring him mentally for life because Cas being an angel and being Dean’s supposed protector is enough to swallow down and now Gabriel?

But is he gonna ask about his brother and Gabriel? No way. Because if the angel and archangel’s strangeness didn’t already freak him out then that would definitely put him in his grave. 

Sam jumps again when the backseat suddenly turns crowded, “Gabriel, I thought I warned you to leave Sam and Dean alone when they’re hunting?”

“Well, they’re not exactly hunting now are they, Castiel? And relax, I’m just here to wish Deano good luck and to tell him not to get killed.”

Dean smiles and leans towards the backseat, locking lips with the archangel and moaning, something that Sam really doesn’t want to hear right now. Their kiss immediately turns heated and he can see Castiel looking at the two like they’re the most fascinating creatures in the world. Sam’s about to faint at the wheel. 

“Uh guys? I’m trying to keep my eyes on the road here.”

“Then keep them on the road, Sammy," Dean kisses Gabriel again and Sam can’t escape it even if he wanted to. How will he be expected to keep his head in the game while hunting when he thinks of the archangel’s hands and eyes admiring every inch of his brother? 

Gabe smirks, “Just wait till I get my way with you tonight, Dean. You’re gonna be put in your place.”

Castiel clears his throat awkwardly, turns toward Sam, “I imagine I would enjoy to be put in my place as well, Sam. What does this involve?” 

Sam’s just gonna pretend that he didn’t see or hear anything while he works on his breathing normally technique.


	5. What Matters Most

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dean wants to take a stand and damn the consequences. He won’t leave him to his death, even if he may never get to say goodbye to his brother.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Teen, Spoilers for Season 5’s Hammer of the Gods (I totally cried when writing this, so I hope you don’t hate me if you cry too
> 
> Set to Theatre of Tragedy’s ‘Senseless’

_~Never will I leave before all’s been said and done_  
_And I turn to you, ‘Can you see the fading sun?’~_

 

The clarity hits him like a sledgehammer in the face. 

His heart pumps wildly in his chest, the fire ignites from within him, fury from when Gabriel pushed him away when in reality his hands should have been reaching for him. Like he knows they wanted to. 

Gabriel wants to perish alone but Dean’s now realized love for him can’t accept that. 

Kali gives him a look that warns him not to go back, it’s pleading but there’s truth there too, and in that truth pity because she knows this is a Winchester boy she’s talking to and there’s no arguing with him. No hope of swaying his decision. 

Sam’s already five steps ahead and doesn’t have a clue what’s going on. It’s better that way. 

Dean turns in a split second, pushes Kali forward desperately before he does so, a silent ‘go without me, run, don’t look back, don’t worry about me’. 

‘You’re an idiot, Dean Winchester’, Kali thinks. ‘But it doesn’t matter because you found in your heart what matters most.’

Despite the fact that he doesn’t turn back, he also knows that she doesn’t follow. What reason would she have to do so? She’s a goddess and because of that she doesn’t care about human suffering and sacrifices. Hell, she’s leaving Gabriel to his death isn’t she?

The thing is, this is what he pushed Gabriel to do in the first place and because of that he should be with Sam right now, escaping and just letting the archangel take a stand for what’s right. He can’t though, he can’t because he cares too much and he’ll be damned if he lets Gabriel do this alone. This is his time too, his time to prove that he doesn’t leave friends behind, no matter how much he may want to. 

He’s made too many mistakes before… not this time. 

Sam turns back when he makes it out of the building, catches sight of Kali but not his brother, not…

“Where’s Dean?”

She gives him a look of apology and it’s in that second that the youngest brother knows because he knows his brother all too well. Sometimes hates how stubborn and self-sacrificing he can be at times but that’s Dean. That’s his brother and he should have known better. 

He wants to scream at her, ask her why she didn’t even try to stop him but what use would it be now? She’s stronger than him and he’ll never break through to her. 

“Sam…,” she grabs his arm but he’s already running, heart already pounding and tears quickly evolving. If he loses Dean all this, everything he ever tried to do would mean nothing. _Nothing._

_What the hell’s wrong with you, Dean? How can you just leave me like that?”_

It takes what seems like forever to reach the room. 

_Please don’t let me be too late. I’ll say yes, I’ll do anything…_

There’s a blinding flash of light and the force of it slams him against the wall and away from the action. He fights though and surges forward, sees that Lucifer is gone and the other archangel, Gabriel, is on the floor and holding his brother in his arms. 

It’s in that moment that Sam’s heart stops when he sees the grief on Gabriel’s face. 

And it’s in that moment that Sam knows the truth. 

Of how much his brother loved him after all.


	6. No Longer About You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dean’s been feeling like only Gabriel gets what he wants. Gabriel’s about to show him that he can be extremely eager to please.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Teen, No spoilers, Oh… and happy Easter everyone!
> 
> Set to The Kills’ ‘U.R.A. Fever’

_~You are a fever, you are a fever_  
_You ain’t born typical~_

 

Dean’s been trying to keep his head straight lately from all that’s been going on. 

Gabriel’s been hanging around him like Dean’s his own personal chocolate bar that will never run out and that he constantly has to smother with kisses and lick greedily. Yet as much as the hunter may appreciate this attention at times, he still manages to feel a little too suffocated. 

The archangel comes around whenever he feels like it, regardless if Dean’s with a highly annoyed and probably jealous Sam, doesn’t care if a very confused and suspicious Castiel is currently standing nearby either. No, when he wants to lavish Dean with attention that’s what he does, won’t listen to any protests or warnings that Dean will shoot his ass if he doesn’t stop. 

Not that he would, just…

Just wishes that he _would_ stop sometimes and let Dean get a breath in and say something. Even if he’s not one for much talking, Gabriel can’t just assume that he never wants to talk. Actually, there’s a lot he’d like to say if he would stop stealing his words and his oxygen. 

For the last few days he’s been ignoring him, refusing to kiss back or let his tongue and lips do the talking when he knows that’s what Gabriel loves. Gabriel doesn’t seem to notice or care at first, but then when he comes to Dean in the motel room he and Sammy are currently staying in, his hands don’t reach for him and neither does his mouth. 

“What’s got your panties in a twist?”

“What spurred you on to ask?”

The archangel brows knit together in frustration as he sits on the bed facing Dean. 

“You’re sexy when you’re all conflicted and annoyed, you know that?”

Dean turns away, “Yeah, figured you would say something like that.” Truth is, Gabriel is Gabriel and Gabriel will never change with his flattery and probably feigned love for him. 

Gabriel gets up in his personal space, “What’s wrong?”

“Since when would you care?”

The archangel inches closer, places a hand on the hunter’s shoulder, “Since I spend nearly all my time with you now. Seriously, Deano, don’t leave me hanging here when I’m so intrigued.”

It’s hard to look at him sometimes, hard to lock eyes with him when he knows all Gabriel cares about is getting into his pants and then leaving without a single word spoken. Maybe it’s better that way too, Dean usually hates to open up but he feels like he must with this. His feelings have been growing for Gabriel, it’s no longer about the sex or the need to share his bed with someone. 

He’s ready to share so much more than that. 

“So you want to cuddle, is that it?”

Dean can’t manage to respond to that, his throat has closed up and he is growing anxious for some reason that he doesn’t know. When the lustful archangel grabs him it isn’t hungrily, it’s tightly and with craving but not hungrily. Dean lets him push him down on the bed, allows Gabriel to wrap his arms around his fully clothed body and squeeze tightly, but not too tightly. He smiles a little when Gabriel plants gentle kisses in his hair and behind his ear. Sighs in satisfaction when their foreheads bump together and Gabriel makes no move to go further like he _always_ does. 

“I thought you would never ask," he whispers in the human’s ear.


	7. Shouldn't Have to Remember

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Even after all these months have gone by, Dean still dreams about him from time to time, as much as he wants to move past it and deny that he really really liked him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mature, just for a swear word. Spoilers for Season 7. Sorry that Gabriel’s not in this, at least physically, wanted to focus on the brotherly love Dean and Sam have towards one another. But be warned, this is very angsty. This is a long one just because I felt like it. Enjoy.
> 
> Set to Counting Crows’ ‘Colorblind'

_~Pull me out from inside_  
_I am folded and unfolded and unfolding~_

 

Dean screams so loudly that Sam imagines his lungs are near to bursting with the sheer intensity of it. There’s no question that the motel’s occupants would be banging on their door right at this very minute if there actually were people staying at this cockroach infested hellhole. That was half the reason why the youngest Winchester picked it in the first place, because his brother’s screams were not only disrupting their own nights but as well as the nights of others. They were never too happy about it either, as anyone can picture.

Sam was in the first deep sleep he’s been in for weeks but it doesn’t matter all too much to him now. There’s no quibbling or complaining while his brother is suffering a torment far worse than being woken up by his own nightmares, and that would be still enduring the mangled images that aren’t real, words that were never spoken and it’s a good thing they never were. 

Sometimes his brother tells him things if he wakes up, mainly incoherent mumblings but Sam can make out a few things, flashes of choppy, inane pictures mixed in a convoluted way with real events. When he cries he says the most vague things, explains what he sees and Sam tries hard to listen, to understand because fuck, this is Dean, this is _his brother_ and he’ll be damned if he lets him go through this all alone. Dean never left him when he needed him after all. 

_Cas drowning himself in the river... Although what majority was really him at the time is still left unanswered..._

_Sam digging his thumb into his palm in that warehouse, grimacing and staring at Dean, wondering if he’s real..._

_Bobby in the hospital, opening his eyes and he’s so weak and dying and he doesn’t seem to care about that at all, just gives them those stupid numbers..._

These are the things that haunt Dean night to night, even in the day time when Sam can tell that his brother isn’t really there at all, just a broken man retreating back into an empty shell, waiting for Sam to help pry him out of it so he doesn’t become catatonic. 

Shit, he hopes that day never comes. For either of them. 

Sam’s startled when he surges up towards consciousness like a drowning man giving his last breath to break the clouded surface of the below freezing ocean. He sits up quickly once he realizes where the noise came from. It’s surprising that Dean didn’t wake himself up, with the volume of the scream and the definite pain from the sound ripping its way out of his throat. 

He watches Dean for a moment, usually he doesn’t wake him, just lets him settle back down on his own and stays up for an hour or so to see if he’ll wake up and talk without remembering anything the next morning. He’s there, _always there_ if Dean needs to talk. 

After about another minute of waiting and watching, another piercing scream bounces off the walls of the room and has Sam running towards the source of it. He places his hand on Dean’s forehead, is surprised by how cool and clammy he feels, shakes his brother awake frantically though working on hiding it so Dean won’t see it upon awakening. When he opens disoriented, tear-filled eyes, Sam immediately calms down and breathes a sigh of relief. 

“Dean?” 

A whisper fills Sam’s ears with the extreme desperation and heartbreak of it. _“Gabriel...”_

And then the youngest knows, right then and there that this has to stop. 

“No, bro, it’s me. It’s just Sam.”

 _Just Sam._ Because he knows that even though he tries to be enough, so fucking hard, he will always need that other person that just isn’t here right now. That had to go and never come back and damage his brother beyond repair. 

Nights like these are the absolute worst, when images of the archangel are sending Dean’s subconscious into chaos and the intense need for retribution. To avenge Gabriel’s death, however he can and finally after all these endless months he wants it even more than his nightmares do. Sam wants it too, there’s just no way to get it. 

It’s Gabriel who sits and stares, hidden in the shadows, blind to his brother’s eyes but sometimes Dean tells Sam that he can sense him, see him out of the corner of his eye but when he turns his head he vanishes. Into memory, into death, into a part of Dean that back then he had been in the process of opening up. When Gabriel started to come around more. 

Dean stares up at him until his eyes clear somewhat, though not enough to make Dean aware of where he is or what’s going on. 

“Sam?”

“Yeah, Dean. You should try to go back to bed you know. Let us both get some sleep.”

Dean chokes out, “I miss him.”

Words can’t even describe how bad he feels for his brother right now. It was months later, when Gabriel was just another person they got killed on an ever-growing list, before Sam started to put the puzzle pieces together and discover that Dean liked the trickster after all, despite all the less than desirable history the three of them had together. And that was a _huge_ understatement. Still, he didn’t nag Dean about it, not even when he got his soul back, or question him or be anything but that quiet brother who was always around, waiting for Dean to look back on it and laugh or something, admit that he didn’t know what was going through his head. 

Instead it turned out to be the exact opposite, and it showed through so painfully well in moments like this. Terrible, heart-wrenching moments like the one he’s in right now. 

“I know. I kinda miss him too sometimes.”

_Miss the way you used to be, how we used to be as brothers. Gabriel could have strengthened us, could have..._

“I think," he stumbles, looks to the side. “I think I loved him.”

It wouldn’t be the first time he’s said it, probably won’t be the last either. Sam’s about to say ‘I know’ again before he realizes that maybe it’s better to say nothing at all. He doesn’t know all that Dean’s thinking, all that Dean’s feeling though getting a small piece of it is enough. 

Dean closes his eyes, opens them back up a second later. Sam wants to leave, or take him somewhere where he won’t have dreams like this that may cause him to remember but also take their toll on his already weakened body. He wants to be the force that stops all this, makes Gabriel fade away into nothing because Dean doesn’t deserve that guilt anymore. He never did. 

“Gabe?”

He lies, he lies because what good does it do to tell the truth?

“He’ll be back soon, Dean. You know he can’t leave you behind for too long.” Sam smiles uneasily, tenses up even though Dean is relaxing and drifting back to sleep underneath him, his hand lying limply on Sam’s arm, like a mere child in search of comfort that he didn’t get much when he was a kid. 

“He’ll be back," he whispers to his brother even though he knows he’s already asleep, that this night won’t happen again for a little while. 

It still makes him cry though, still makes him sob as he curls his body protectively towards Dean’s because he knows it’s not true. Gabriel’s not coming back, he died for the both of them and that’s that. 

But it shouldn’t be just that. Dean deserves so much more, deserves to have his very own candy lovin’ trickster/archangel. Sam knows it more and more as each day dares to pass by. Knows it even more than he knows he needs to breathe.


	8. Take Back Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When a witch de-ages Dean to only four years old, Gabriel is furious and more than ready to restore him back to his former self. Until he realizes that siding with Sam just might not be that bad of an idea after all, at least for the time being.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’ve always wanted to write something involving de-aged Dean, since he was so cute in the pilot and I wanted more. Adding in Sam and Gabriel was just something I had to do also, so I hope you enjoy it after that last angst-ridden snippet.
> 
> Set to Safetysuit’s ‘Find a Way’

_~Hold on, I’ll be here when it’s_  
_All done, you know~_

 

“Gabwiel!”

Sam can’t help but grin as his big (little) brother runs up to Gabriel as fast as his tiny legs can carry him, smiling as the archangel leans down and picks him up, and giggling when Gabriel lifts him high over his head, twirling him round and round. 

“Fasta! Go fasta, angle!” It’s adorable how Dean can’t quite say angel yet, as if everything else about him wasn’t adorable enough. Sam’s just happy that he gets to see Dean like this, so young and happy and perfect. 

Gabriel obeys, spinning him a little faster and growing delighted by how much the little human seems to enjoy it. Seems to enjoy having him around. 

Sam stands happily on the sidelines, amazed at how good the archangel is with Dean, like he’s done all this before or something. It’s only been four days since his brother had been de-aged back down to four again by some witch just before Sam managed to take her down. He had been furious and hell-bent on revenge at first, seeing Dean cowering in a corner, so small and vulnerable, sobbing and covered in dried blood. When he had pulled him into his arms it had been even more heartbreaking, though a comfortable relief that Dean responded to his reassurances and murmurings. 

It hadn’t been long before he realized how cute his little brother is, with his dimples and inability to say words correctly and every time he would smile up at _his Sammy,_ Sam’s heart would just melt. That witch had also provided him with a great opportunity: Give Dean the childhood that had been so brutally cut short, let Sam take care of him when a thirty something year old Dean wouldn’t, would merely bat his apparently huge paws away and mention something about how he wasn’t going to let his brother mother hen him to death. 

Now Sam had his chance and he wasn’t going to waste it. 

He felt bad for Gabriel though, who hadn’t come to the same conclusion as quickly. He had just started up a relationship with Dean, only had begun to prove how much he loves him until this happened. But then Gabriel had seen Dean, _really saw him,_ and after that he sided with Sam. 

Gabriel puts his little brother down, “How’s about we go get some ice cream, huh?”

Dean nods enthusiastically, offers the archangel his hand before they walk out the door, Sam following close behind. 

This is going to be a great year for all three of them. 

 

After vanilla ice cream with chocolate sprinkles, Sam and Gabriel decide to take Dean to see the circus in the next town over. Sam may hate clowns and if Dean’s the age he’s supposed to be, he would no doubt make sure Sam wouldn’t drag him to a circus unless they were hunting, but Sam completely disregards those things because his brother deserves so much after all he’s been put through. 

And honestly? He’s having such a blast that he can’t even think about avoiding clowns at this point. Not with Dean getting all excited and smiling that cute little smile from ear to ear. He screamed in delight while he was chasing the two of them in his own little firetruck red bumper car, and curled up against Gabriel’s chest, like he fit there so perfectly (which he did), yawning while high up in the ferris wheel. 

“Looks like Deano’s getting tired.”

Sam agrees with Gabriel, tucks a blanket around his brother and kisses his forehead, running his fingers through his beautiful blond hair. He smiles as Dean snuggles into the warmth and then settles back to admire the stars above them. 

 

Later, when the archangel settles him into the back of his beloved Impala, he stirs just a little and whispers, “Wove you, Gabwiel.”

“Aww," the archangel cuddles the mini Winchester against his chest briefly. “I love you too, Deano. And I always will.”

He imagines he can live with Dean like this for just a little bit longer.


	9. What Brothers Are For

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sam really can’t find anything to like in Gabriel, he’s annoying and honestly Sam’s at his wit’s end. Though considering how much Sam cares about his brother, maybe he’ll stop bitching just a teeny bit to keep Dean happy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Teen. No spoilers cause there’s no specific season. Been taking some time off from writing lately, but these little snippets keep me warm and happy. Enjoy this one.
> 
> Set to Nickelback’s ‘This Means War’

_~You’ve gone too far_  
_Who do you think you are?~_

 

_He’s stealing my brother, that’s what he’s doing. That stupid immature dick archangel is trying to take my brother away from me._

_It’s not gonna happen though, not after all we’ve been through. I won’t lose him to something that’s not even human._

“How’s it going, Sam?”

He glances up, eyebrows joining together tightly in an expression of frustration and malicious intent, mainly the latter though. Gabriel looks down at him like it’s his only pleasure in life, even though Sam’s massively tall compared to his laughably shortish stature and Gabriel always makes it more than clear; Dean is the only thing in the universe that gets him going. 

Oh shit, now he had to put that image in his head. 

“What do you want?” He growls, finding it hard to just keep it to that when what he really wants to do is tackle the damn archangel above him, the one who’s currently unable to keep his paws out of the jumbo size chocolate bag he’s holding, to the ground and make sure he never gets back up again. 

_To bug me, that’s all he ever wants._

He always tells himself that Dean would never get broken up about it, or kill him for that matter, but he only says that because it makes it easier for him rather than facing the facts. 

Gabriel likes Dean. 

And even worse. 

Dean likes Gabriel. 

At the start of it all, which wasn’t that long ago by the way, all Sam really wanted to do was just shake Dean’s shoulders fiercely, demanding him to tell him if he’s been tricked and needs to be forcibly restrained from the grinning monster that just found his way permanently into their lives. 

Nothing. At all. Happened. If anything, Dean fell even more in love with that monster. 

Sam bites down on his tongue and turns away, heading towards the door because he thinks right at this moment that he needs a very long walk. He remembers the days where Dean would aggravate him to the point where he had to leave their room and take a trip to the library or somewhere to think about something else entirely. Those days are over, but now Gabriel’s here pretty much constantly and he hates it. Too bad he can’t count on Dean to care about anything but the source of his hate. Too bad he can’t vent to anyone about how much he hates Gabriel, who just had to retain some of the annoying habits of his trickster persona. 

“If I find chocolate smeared over my laptop or candy wrappers beneath my sheets again, I swear I’m gonna set Dean on your ass, whether he likes it or not and believe me, you don’t want to be put in that position.”

He can literally feel Gabriel snicker behind his back and he ponders, not for the first time, how Dean can like anything about that archangel. 

 

The moment he walks back into the room after a long night of mostly futile research, he can instantly tell something is wrong with Dean. Brothers can sense these things, and since Sam is so connected to his own brother, has been on the road with him for how long now? This means that the radar was already going off in his head by the time he left the library. 

After about an hour of Dean lying on his own bed, sulking and sighing loudly and basically screaming at Sam to show some form of recognition, even though he’ll forever claim that’s not what he wants at all, Sam decides to not take it anymore. 

“Spit it out, Dean.” He scoots over to Dean’s bed, “What happened?”

“It was just a fight. Didn’t even feel real.”

And then the pieces start falling into place, “A fight with Gabriel?”

“Yeah," Dean says so quietly that Sam can hardly hear him. “And don’t say I told you so.”

Sam keeps his mouth shut. He can’t deny that he misses seeing Dean happy, and feeling the loss of it is a stronger sensation than the loathing he feels for the archangel. 

“What can I do?” He sighs loudly, not believing he’s been put in this position. Though when Dean looks up at him, he can read the hope in his eyes and knows that he did the right thing after all.


	10. Winter Has No Hold

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dean reflects on the awesomeness of one very special archangel.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Teen, No spoilers. Enjoy, there’s more fluff to come!
> 
> Set to Taproot’s ‘When’

_~I want to shine_  
_With you by my side~_

 

Gabriel’s a heater, no, literally. He’s so warm that if Dean didn’t know any better he’d swear he was cuddling up next to the sun. It must have something to do with all that grace pulsating within him, or it could be just another thing that’s special about Gabriel. And believe him, there are _tons_ of things. 

Like how he hates to share anything, even a lousy piece of candy. Gabriel does share with Dean though, although usually the human has to do something in return, like sweeten Gabriel up a little so he’s in the sharing and caring mood that gets him what he wants. 

Then there’s his annoying, ‘get on your nerves so stealthily’ sense of humor, which he picked up from portraying Loki but it couldn’t have just been from that. Dean knows this and treasures this because a Gabriel with no tricks up his sleeve, no jokes to tell or opinions to share isn’t Gabriel at all. He wishes he could have known him back before all of that, seen what he was like when he looked at himself and all he saw was just a mighty archangel, a brother. Dean swears there must have been something about him that made him different from the rest, a longing to be an active part of humanity and to leave mischief always in his wake. 

And then there’s the fighting, the battling and arguing that’s so human-like in its brutality and unpredictability. When he charges at Gabriel he reciprocates, comes on strong and doesn’t back off no matter what Dean does. He’s gentle though, so careful when he slams the human against the wall that Dean sometimes wonders how he can hold that all in, the urge at that exact moment to crush Dean into a million pieces, a rage that Dean finds it hard to live up to, yet doesn’t lay off because that archangel pisses him off so much sometimes, pretends that nothing means anything to him when he knows every little thing now means something to him. 

Dean supposes he opened up a whole new world for him. Things to _treasure love remember._ Deep down, Gabriel doesn’t take it for granted. 

One thing Dean will never forget is the way the archangel feels about him. He doubts anything could change that, whether it be a word he dares to say or an action he takes, there must be something in him that can be never buried under all the guilt and selflessness. So he’s special in Gabriel’s eyes, and Gabriel is special to him, every look he gives him dares him to take another step forward, to fall into him. 

And he does, he always does. 

Which is why right at this moment he’s snuggling with his own personal heater, winter and the natural order of things screaming their inane protests outside the icicle laden window.


	11. Gestures are never just that

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Dean asks for the impossible Gabriel doesn’t understand. Until he does.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Teen. No spoilers. Here’s the fluff that I promised, hope you enjoy.
> 
> Set to Evanescence’s ‘Good Enough’

_~Under your spell again_  
_I can’t say no to you~_

 

“So, I really can’t see your wings, huh?”

Gabriel glances up, eyes Dean curiously, trying to sense if there’s something more hidden underneath that gaze. He can’t see much though, Dean seems to have voiced an innocent question, one that he no doubt already realizes the answer to. His face displays only curiosity and seriously, no one can top his poker face anyway. 

“Fraid not, kiddo.”

He digs a lollipop out of his pocket because they always help him think, deciphering nagging, troubling thoughts that plague him. Somehow, they always seem to involve Dean these days. He’s been having more and more questions for him, like why he thinks earth is better than heaven and if they had candy up there and if that’s why he’s so addicted to it now. 

Gabriel tries to move past these things cause truthfully, they catch him off guard on nearly every occasion. Dean’s not one for words and seeing him like this, silent and hesitant to speak for hours and then suddenly saying things that the archangel never would have expected, scares him and almost, in a sense, deeply worries him. When the human’s not acting like his usual self, he doesn’t like it, there’s nothing to like about it when Dean looks at him like he’s an alien and wonders why Gabriel tries so hard to be human. 

He tries to be human for Dean. 

The archangel turns away, feels his wings twitch uselessly behind his back. He hasn’t flown in days and the lack of it has taken its toll, leaves him restless and agitated, aching for the wide open sky even if it momentarily separates him from Dean. Giving in to this shouldn’t feel like giving up Dean, though it does. 

“Not even if we were in heaven?”

“Why do you care so much?” He rounds on him, “Would it make any difference?”

“I don’t know," Dean shrugs, trying to make it look casual but it’s anything but. “They’re a part of who you are, a part I never get to see...” He trails off and Gabriel analyzes him once more, is left astounded that _this_ is the reason. 

Dean wants to know _all of him._ It’s scary and unbelievable and perfect. Why does it have to be so _perfect?_

He takes the lollipop out of his mouth and throws it to the concrete, retreats from the Impala and lets his lips take Dean’s fiercely. He freezes before he gets the memo to follow Gabriel’s direction and kiss him back. They do it a lot these days, Gabriel likes to keep him close enough to touch and kiss and be able to shower him with affection. This is the human he’s chosen to spend his days with. 

“If I could show you them, I would," Gabriel breathes. “I would want to share them with you.”

“Really?” Dean asks, staring at the spot where they currently rest against his back. He unfurls them, even though the human can’t see them, and wraps Dean up in their downy softness. Like Sam told him once, it’s the thought that counts, the mere gesture that proves adoration. 

And Gabriel loves Dean. Very _very_ much.


	12. Perfect Specimen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More than one archangel has plans for Dean, but only one will hold his best interests in heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Teen, I guess. Totally suck at ratings. No spoilers. Set Season 5.
> 
> Set to Taproot’s ‘Mine’

_~The choice is mine and mine for keeps_  
_I can bring you to my side~_

 

Lucifer laughs, “Love won’t save you, Dean. Alistair adored you and not even he could keep you as his pet for more than four centuries.” He walks tauntingly around the still heavily bleeding human in a dizzying perfect circle. “Even if my little brother did long for you, which is not only unlikely but laughable," Lucifer laughs again viciously to emphasize his point, “there would be nothing he could do to save you.”

And Dean believes it, believes that even if Gabriel were to come here and try he would be defeated and Dean would have to _watch._

He doesn’t want that. 

Dean wants to say ‘fine’, he needs to say he doesn’t care but he does, it’d only be easier if he didn’t. He should spare more humiliation and hang here, his wrists encased in thick metal chains bolted to the darkened ceiling overhead, blood dripping from them and pooling beneath his feet. It’ll only be easier if he just lets this happen, doesn’t think of Gabriel, places him at the back of his mind and pretends he doesn’t exist. 

But he can’t forget Gabriel, can’t forget what he said only a day before; of all the extraordinary and beautiful things he wanted to show him still, of all the days he wanted to spend with him because the world was chaos and destruction waiting to happen and you might as well share its torture with the person you longed to be with. 

He grits his teeth against the next onslaught of agony, spits a salty substance (likely blood) that’s accumulated in his mouth onto the face of the vessel Lucifer is currently possessing. It doesn’t mean anything, except that he doesn’t care what happens to him anymore, that if Gabriel were to attempt to save him he’d tell him not to bother. 

Just to hear Gabriel say those words set certain things in stone. He would give it all up for that one archangel, damn the effects of it. 

The devil steps back to admire his handiwork; Dean’s only recently cut-up body, blood oozing thickly from fresh marks made from Dean’s own blade, brand new scars to accompany his others, proving the harsh fact that the human always has and always will endure agony. 

Gabriel complicated his life, Gabriel made it better. Even now, completely at the desires and sick fantasies of Lucifer, he’s happier than before he laid eyes on that damn trickster who had turned out to be too much more. 

“So beautiful,” Lucifer murmurs. “My perfect mannequin. A specimen my little brother found,” he shakes his head in wonder and amazement. “Now you’re...” 

“Mine,” Gabriel growls, stepping forward. Dean looks up, into the devil’s mercilessly cold and dead black eyes before he steps to the side minutely and brings the other archangel into focus. He tries to get his mouth to work, to talk, to smile but then there’s more startling pain and everything goes black brutally fast.

A painful black that brings with it isolation. 

When he wakes up he doesn’t open his eyes, terror sinking into the pit of his stomach that he may be blind. His eyes burn, darkness has been crowding in and consuming him for too long, he doesn’t want the disappointment sight (or the lack of it) will no doubt give him. Gabriel’s low hum startles him before desperate fingers latch onto his hair, dig in deep as if for closeness and reassurance before the hold on him loosens and the archangel pets him like he’s a rabbit. 

Dean enjoys it for as long as he can. 

“It’s okay, Deano. Everything’s over.”

Not even this coaxes him to unseal his eyes. Just smelling Gabriel’s familiar scent and hearing his musical voice is enough for now. Despite the fact that he can feel a soft, warm bed beneath him, Dean remains convinced he’s not far from where he was taken to, that Lucifer hovers in the background, waiting to be seen. 

Gabriel releases his hold, curls up next to Dean with what seems like great effort and finally settles with his head on Dean’s chest, both arms holding his human protectively in place but also giving him some room to move around. Not that he wants to. His hand instinctively lays down on Gabriel’s warm arm and a tremor runs through it for a second before it stills. 

“I love you, Dean. I love you.”

He says it like the human is everything to him, like the name always stays just behind his lips, ready to pour out when he can no longer hold it back. He says it like it’s the only thing he ever wants to say. 

And this time, Dean says it back. Then... He opens his weathered eyes.


	13. Liking the New You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sam’s sick of judging, he’s been given a second chance and whatever makes Dean happy makes him happy. Regardless of who it really is.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Teen. No spoilers, this should be set sometime in Season 6, just after Sam gets his soul back.
> 
> Set to Blue October’s ‘What If We Could?’

_If it felt right~_  
_Would you want me to know?~_

 

“When’s the last time you saw Gabriel?”

“Huh?”

“The last time?”

“Uh,” Dean stumbles over the word a little. “I don’t know. Probably the last time you saw him, Sam. What the hell’s bringing this up?”

“Nothing. Just that you’ve been acting a little weird lately.”

Dean only stares at him, face devoid of any emotion. His arms linger at his sides though they clench into fists just the slightest bit at Sam’s words. He works to suppress the truth from his brother, if he ever found out he’d have to strangle him. 

“Weird how, Sam?”

Sam shrugs, “A certain spring in your step, you’re happier than you usually are. I just thought you saw something to make you nostalgic, since you haven’t been in that ‘Dean Winchester kicks ass all day long’ mode. It’s refreshing. Really, Dean. I actually kinda like the new you.”

Dean just looks at him like he’s gone nuts and for all he knows, he has. Why the hell is Sam suddenly thinking about Gabriel all of a sudden, why isn’t he daydreaming of kittens and rainbows instead? “And how exactly did the damn trickster get into this conversation?”

“Forget it, Dean.” Sam throws his hands up in the air in exasperation, though Dean can see right through him, the slight nervousness and curiosity, not to mention amusement he isn’t trying hard enough to mask. 

“No, Sam. Go on, I’m really dying to know here.”

His little brother huffs, “Fine. Just...”

“What are you two chuckle heads talking about?”

Sam and Dean look up simultaneously. It’s even harder now for Dean to repress what he needs to, of what he’ll die from if he doesn’t hold back. Sam catches it when he flicks his eyes over to his brother for a moment, sees something in his eyes at the sight of Gabriel that makes him squirm a bit where he stands. So it wasn’t just a random guess with only a tiny bit to go on but mainly speculation after all. His instincts were right, he just can’t really believe his eyes. 

It’s not a bad thing if it’s true, there used to be days where he would love to come up with lists of who his brother could and could not date, practically everyone on the latter and no one on the former. Gabriel may seem like a bad choice at first but he doesn’t want to have negativity towards him anymore, whatever Dean wants he wants for him, whoever makes Dean more easygoing and smile just that little bit more everyday is okay in his book. He should actually say more than okay, but he’s not pushing it that much when it comes to the infamous trickster they all know and love and still hate a little though not really anymore. 

“Oh nothing,” Sam grins, “Dean was just wondering when you would decide to drop by again.”

Dean growls under his breath and kicks Sam, leading to a yelp and an angry but yet quite satisfied with himself glare sent in his big brother’s general direction. He isn’t paying attention though, Dean is looking down at his boots and blushing just the teensiest bit and suddenly Sam is growing tingly all over. 

_Shit, is Gabriel even noticing this? Am I seriously watching this so very apparent display of affection my brother has towards Gabriel?_

He suppresses his inner glee and just smiles wider. Gabriel only spares him a glance, giving all his attention towards Dean, who looks up as soon as he notices he’s being watched.

“You’ll have to excuse, Sam. Think he’s on his time of the month.” 

Sam frowns. 

“So, Dean,” Gabriel wraps an arm around Dean and gently steers him away from Sam. “What were you starting to tell me last night about wanting to try something different for a change? About all the things you had in mind for me? I’m just dying to know, kiddo.”

Sam laughs, watching the two as they round a corner and disappear from sight. He can deal with loneliness as long as he knows his brother is in good hands. Groping hands that is, Sam shivers in disgust and takes off in the Impala.


	14. Breaking, Budging, Breathing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sam doesn’t have leaving as an option, not anymore. Not even if Gabriel is here and having eye sex with his brother. Wait a minute... since when is he okay with this?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Teen. No spoilers that I know of. Longer one because honestly, how can I give myself a word limit with these three amazing characters? Getting into Sam’s head is too addictive.
> 
> Set to The Fray’s ‘Over My Head (Cable Car)’

_~I’d rather run the other way than stay and see_  
_The smoke and who’s still standing when it clears~_

 

He can’t leave, Sam knows this. Can’t just walk out like the millions of other times when he has more than an inkling now of what it does to Dean. That option is gone for him now because Dean would never dream of doing this, he would never just give it all up and walk away all in the heat of the moment. No, Sam won’t leave, he won’t abandon his brother to the trickster’s whims. 

Though he’s not so sure if he can protect him from his advances. That is definitely an icky subject that makes him want to scream and run away in disgust. 

What’s worse is that Dean doesn’t even seem to mind it, like he should, like Sam knows he should cause dammit, this is the same freak of nature who calls himself a damn archangel who killed his brother hundreds of times without hesitation. He would think he doesn’t have a right to be around his brother and more specifically, that Dean wouldn’t want him around to begin with, let alone to fulfill his sexual desires with. 

But apparently he does. And when Sam asks him about it, he confirms this and Sam storms out of the room, shouting for Gabriel to get his feathery ass down there and do some explaining. Gabriel obliges, and strangely it only pisses him off more. 

Dammit, he wants to run. But he just said he can’t, right?

“Why the hell are you even still coming around for? There’s nothing around here for you, Gabriel. Stop screwing with our lives.”

Dean walks out into the living room silently, Sam watches Gabriel glance over at him. 

“Is this how you feel too?”

Dean doesn’t answer, just stares back and the archangel eventually sighs. “Fine, just wanted to keep you two mutton heads out of trouble. Look at all the thanks I get.”

And then he’s gone, leaving Sam with a deadly silent brother, not having to wait long for that massive wave of guilt to overcome him in all its wrath. Suddenly, he realizes what he’s done. 

“Dean...”

Anger overtakes his brother’s face for a minute and Sam thinks he’s about to have a tantrum until it dissipates as quickly as Gabriel did. He settles for shrugging, like he doesn’t know what loss means and then walks upstairs slowly, hand trailing along the railing. 

Sam can’t help but watch. He wanted Gabriel gone but never like this. 

Never wanted to see his brother like this. 

 

Sam sits at the breakfast bar, drowning his thoughts in a lousy bowl of cereal, pretty much the only thing left in this place. He sighs, jamming his spoon into a cluster of marshmallows and staring out the window forlornly. It’s only been a day and Sam already hates the silence thickening every hour as his brother confines himself upstairs, as the house is painfully left without a member. 

Gabriel. Stupid, annoying, can’t live with, can’t live without Gabriel. 

Fuck it, Sam really doesn’t know what he wants anymore. There’s nothing he can do though, only wait to see if Gabriel shows up, realizing Sam’s opinion of him has changed.

Cause he’s definitely not begging him to come back, no way. Well, unless Dean asks him to. He hasn’t though, and probably never will because all he does is sit up in his room and do whoever the hell knows what.

Sam sighs again. Sometimes he wishes Dean would just get mad at him, shake him out of his stupidity and make him see what he needs, scream it at him so Sam finally gets it. But no, stupid, pigheaded Dean, who adores that no good archangel but doesn’t have the guts to say it unless Sam shoves the question in his face. 

He can’t believe he lives with this. 

 

“Gabriel!” He shouts out once, another time, doesn’t care if Dean hears it or not, doesn’t matter if Dean laughs at him for his mistake or for his sudden change of heart. If Gabriel really cared, he would listen and he would come back. 

If he really cared about his brother.

“You can get down here, you know! I won’t hold it against you!”

Dean comes down the stairs slowly, Sam catches him out of the corner of his eye and smiles a little. “Don’t actually think he’ll come back. But it’s worth a shot, huh?”

His big brother nods, collapses on the couch and listens closely as he watches night fall around them both, the light from the windows darkening and the insects coming out to congregate. It’s so deathly quiet save for Sam’s occasional curse and outcry of the archangel’s dreaded but also much appreciated name. 

“Alright alright, Samsquatch. Hold your horses, I’m comin’.”

He crosses his arms at Gabriel’s sudden arrival, his eyes falling upon him before they linger on his brother. Sam smiles as Dean stands up, immediately giving up personal space to get nearer to the archangel. “Fuck you, Gabriel. Don’t do that, ever again. You hear me?”

Sam smirks, shakes his head when the eye sex between Gabriel and his brother starts back up again and walks out of the room, back to his cereal. All is right in the world again. 

He’s got one kick ass brother and an overprotective archangel, what more does Dean Winchester need? This is what convinces Sam to share their house with another member, this is what lets him know that sometimes it’s okay to sleep in in the mornings because they couldn’t be safer... or happier for that matter. So yes, Sam will budge and he will do it for Dean, the person who has done everything for him and will only continue to do so. He’ll do it for Dean. 

He’ll let Gabriel stay for Dean.


	15. Delicate Flower

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just some shameless seduction. Short and fluffy and featuring one of my favorite things; a possessive Gabriel. Enjoy, I was totally in the mood.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Teen. Set post ‘Tall Tales’.
> 
> Set to Lisa Hall’s ‘Is This Real?’

_~Twisted this feeling walked out of shape_  
_So tired of revealing the moves that I make~_

 

“There’s only one thing in this world I could ever want.” His lips ghost across Dean’s ear, tongue flicking out to slide along his cheek. Dean swallows, cheeks taking on a suspicious rosy hue in the dim light as he looks down, avoiding the trickster’s eyes. 

“Loki...”

“Shh...” He demands, his finger trailing delicately along the curve of the human’s lips, “If you talk you’ll ruin the moment.”

“So first you want the lights out and now you don’t even want me to talk?”

It’s the most Dean’s said since Gabriel came onto him, since he pulled him into the darkened room on a whim and gently held him in place against the wall. Dean may be pigheaded and annoying and cocky as hell but he is also a delicate flower, so vulnerable and unsure and guilt-ridden. It breaks Gabriel and sets him on fire with raw need all at the same time. It’s unnerving and unthinkable and Gabriel isn’t sure what he wants to do more; simply hold him or mark him as his own. 

Dean is Gabriel’s delicate flower. And Gabriel is so sure he will be everything he needs. Dean’s worth it. 

“You’re beautiful, Dean. Everything about you. But if I have more than touch right now I fear I’ll lose it. Hurt you.” _You’re no vessel, you’re a human and as breakable as an eggshell. I have to be careful or I’ll scar you. Lose myself in how much I want you and how much you want me and forsake care and caution._

The Winchester nods as Gabriel places his forehead against Dean’s own. He dreamed of being rough with him their first time but now it doesn’t feel right. He wants to treasure every inch of the human’s skin with his fingertips and tongue. Wants to tell him all his secrets. That he’s an archangel, that this means he doesn’t have to be afraid anymore. 

“I’ll look after you, Deano. When I bind you to me, you’ll finally be mine.”

He can practically taste Dean’s uncertainty as he fumbles with the buttons of his shirt, leaves Dean to do it after a moment due to his impatience. Dean feels eager now as he kisses Gabriel greedily, the archangel feels a small smile lighting up his face as their lips touch. 

“Next time,” the human breathes, “we leave the lights on.” Gabriel hears the unspoken ‘cause I want to see you’ and grins. 

“You got it, kiddo, anything you want.” _Anything at all._


	16. All Because of You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gabriel pushes Dean to leave with him. Dean takes it the wrong way and refuses.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Teen, I guess. Another one set during Season 5’s ‘The End’.
> 
> Set to Chevelle’s ‘Bend the Bracket’

_~And the more we tense up, avoiding pain_  
_You’ll never learn a thing~_

 

Gabriel’s by his side, arm brushing against his own and suddenly it’s too much, closing the floodgates all over again cause he knows what happens when he doesn’t. He doesn’t swallow, it’ll only give himself away to the archangel who never misses a thing. Even if Dean can call him human now and he doesn’t take offense to it cause it couldn’t be more true, just like poor fucked up Cas, Gabriel still continues to watch his every move like a hawk. 

Hell, Gabriel’s always been overprotective but this? This is too damn much. 

He looks away, pretends he’s focusing on something else but Gabriel makes it impossible when he hands him a bottle of water. Dean accepts, avoiding eye contact. Gabriel’s used to it. He doesn’t even ask if he’s fine anymore. He already knows the answer. 

“We’ll be back to the camp before you know it,” Dean comments even though there’s just him and three others in the pickup. His thumb brushes under his nose discreetly, he’s had a cold coming on for days now. He’d be a fool to think Gabriel doesn’t notice, didn’t notice before he even did for that matter. 

Gabriel just looks out the window now when he’s at a loss, or bored, or whatever. Dean’s too lost in the hunts to feel the loss. Too preoccupied trying to keep his mind away from Sam. 

“Hey,” Cas’s voice, coming from the backseat, startles him out of his reverie. “Next town we hit,” he shakes a bottle of pills in Dean’s face, nothing new there, “we gotta scavenge for more of these things.”

Dean shoves his hand away and Cas laughs, Dean sees him popping two before he turns away. He notices Gabriel’s hand tighten on the steering wheel. 

He looks away, at the desolate landscape they’re flying by. All he can seem to do is look away. 

Later that night, when Cas’s orgy session is long over and Dean settles down with Gabriel in one of his rooms, Gabriel takes his hand and pulls him closer. The sheets twist around Dean’s legs but he listens intently. Gabriel isn’t too apt on doing this anymore; pulling Dean desperately close like he did the first few nights of this whole mess. Like he had more of a reason to be terrified than the hunter himself did. 

And maybe he did, maybe he did lose a lot more than Dean did, him and Cas. They were human now and pathetic and mortal. It was a sad picture, but when Dean thought of that he thought of Sam so he always brushed it aside, lest he drown himself in the nearest bottle. 

“Listen to me, Dean. We can leave, start a new life. Hell, we can even bring Cas if you want to. Just...” Dean looks away in disappointment but Gabriel urges him to look back. He relents. 

“Just come with me. Promise me you’ll think about it.”

“You had the chance,” Dean says, not caring if Castiel hears their conversation or not. “To leave me and you didn’t. You chose me over your own brothers, so did Cas. Because you trust me...”

“Because I love you,” Gabriel intercepts. “Because I could never think of leaving you. But I don’t want this, for either of us, it’s futile to remain when...”

“When what? There’s no hope? You don’t have faith in me anymore to protect you, to protect Cas, to protect anyone outside these walls?”

“It’s not that,” Gabriel splutters. “Dean...”

“No,” Dean pushes away, “I’ve heard enough. I’m staying.” He flips over on his side, facing away from Gabriel. 

Long minutes pass and he can hear Gabriel murmur ‘I love you’ but nothing matters anymore. Gabriel is human and Cas is constantly high and Dean is brother-less. He’ll remain here until he dies, it’s as simple as that, because no matter where they go everything will be the same. Everywhere will be burning and decaying and overrun with those damn Croats. 

No matter what they do Gabriel will always be a burnt-out archangel and Dean will never forget that it’s all because of him.


	17. Tricks Up His Sleeve

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gabriel’s done with all the heated looks and judgments, he wants action and he wants it now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Borderline Teen & Mature? Damn, I suck at ratings, don’t judge me. Set post ‘Tall Tales’. Nothing is sweeter and more worthwhile to spend a wonderful half hour on than these two.
> 
> Set to Christina Aguilera’s ‘Ain’t No Other Man’

_~I don’t know what you did boy but you had it_  
_And I’ve been hooked ever since~_

 

Shit. Why does he have to melt when the hunter’s eyes land on his own? Does he know exactly what sort of insanity he drives him to?

“If you have a problem with me, Gabriel, then why don’t you stop coming around here?”

Like he actually means that, Gabriel has to scoff. Dean would be dead without his sweet ass to protect him. 

The thing is, the archangel does have a problem with Dean. His cockiness is a prelude to Gabriel’s rage, wicked smile and demanding eyes setting him on fire with lust. In this moment, him on top of Dean is the only future he can imagine. It’s not a sad picture, it’s a fucking amazing one. 

Suddenly, his eyes hone in on one thing and one thing alone; Dean. 

Dean, who he danced around for ages. Dean, whose eyes are the softest hazel and whose lips are the sweetest candy he’s ever tasted. Dean, who’s turning his back, walking away, pretending Gabriel means nothing to him. 

And the archangel grabs him, his lips throbbing with the brutal need to never separate them from the human’s. 

“Don’t deny me, Deano.” He growls.

Dean smiles against his mouth, reveling in the sensation of Gabriel so dangerously close to him. “Guess I make you crazy when I walk away.”

“Fuck, you’re so...,” the archangel moans. Dean gasps out his name when his tongue probes deeper into the hunter’s mouth. 

“I’m so what?” The Winchester presses. 

“Don’t flatter yourself.”

“No, really,” Dean smiles wider. “Tell me.”

“You are so...” Gabriel really doesn’t want to say what he’s thinking, but with Dean it’s like he really does want him to know. Know everything on his mind and offer everything that he wants up to him on a silver platter.

“Beautiful,” the archangel finishes. “And don’t laugh.”

Dean laughs anyway, happy and carefree. “Why do you have to be so good at this?”

Gabriel grins, “I’ve had eons of practice. Though...,” his hand curls around Dean’s neck momentarily, dragging him close enough so that it hurts. “I’ve got quite a few tricks up my sleeve still to try out on you.”

“Can’t wait.” Dean admits. They’ve got the whole night, might as well not waste any of it on chitchat and copious amounts of eye sex, no matter how addictive it’s been for all of these long ass weeks. 

Gabriel can wait no longer than he can, so he pulls Dean onto the hood of his Impala and sets their hearts on fire once more.


	18. Bringing you Back or Keeping you Here

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gabriel makes a promise he should have known right off the bat he wouldn’t be able to keep. Now he has no choice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Spoilers for the Season 7 finale. Teen.
> 
> Set to Linkin Park’s ‘With You’

_~The sound of your voice_  
_Painted on my memories~_

 

_I will never let anything happen to you._

_You are mine, and you are always protected._

The thing is, Gabriel doesn’t make the promise straight to Dean’s face. He may mumble it when his mate is drifting off into sleep, or say it so fast that all the words blend together, but he certainly can’t be positive that the Winchester remembers any of it. 

In fact, he’s pretty sure that he doesn’t. 

You can’t blame him though, not really. Cause one thing Gabriel rarely is is sappy. Neither is Dean, and maybe that’s why they fit so great together, like puzzle pieces that just snap into place without pressing down at all. They both respect each other’s boundaries, well, most of the time anyway, not to mention ‘no chick flick moments’ is an unspoken rule between them, kinda. When Dean comes back injured from a hunt, he doesn’t respect or allow either his or Dean’s pride to come first. He’s worried and could give a damn about preventing mother henning and an affection that rarely ever comes out and only ever does for this particular hunter. 

But this, somehow after what’s happened starts to set in, the unspoken words become so much more powerful. And, as expected, he hates himself more because of it. 

He is restless in every way imaginable, his limbs won’t rest but twitch nervously at his sides when he’s not toying with some object nearby. His mind is racing with every breath taken, of ways he could have prevented this, gotten the words out so maybe Dean would have had more hope going into this. 

Sam watches him warily from the other couch across from his, composure surprisingly calm and fingers still. Gabriel just knows he’s keeping it inside, that he’s not the only one who blames himself. 

“You okay?”

“Yeah, fine.” He’s turning into Dean more and more everyday. If this were any other situation Sam would be smiling at that right now. 

“It’ll be okay. We’ve dealt with tougher shit than this before.” Gabriel’s grateful for Sam’s words, it’s just sad that he’s saying them and not the other way around. If anything, Gabriel should be reassuring Sam at this point. 

“If I had promised, done more, things would be different now.” Gabriel sighs softly, “I’m sure of it.” Matter of fact, he’s not sure of anything at all. Only that the promise he only made to himself not even a month prior was broken. No one could repair it. 

Sam doesn’t even ask. He just sits there, a comforting presence, his eyes never leaving the archangel’s. 

 

_I’m with you. No matter what._

_You never need to ask or beg or want._

Dean’s smile lights up his life like it always does. It’s almost like nothing has changed. Gabriel isn’t dense though, purgatory lies heavily on the hunter’s mind, despite pushing himself to hide it, and Gabriel will do just about anything to ease it. 

“Right there,” Dean sighs in happiness as Gabriel finally reaches the perfect knot in his back. The archangel smiles, works his way in slowly as he settles himself more comfortably on the bed. 

It doesn’t take too long before it crosses his mind again. It never does. 

“Dean?”

“Yeah?”

“Nothing’s gonna happen to you again. I promise. Should have stopped it the last time but... But you’re with me now, and safe. It’s imperative that you feel safe with me.” When he says it, it’s almost like he’s begging. And right now, he doesn’t care because his mate must feel safe with him. That Gabriel would die to protect him if it should ever come to that. 

Dean doesn’t answer, it only makes him incredibly more nervous. “Dean?”

“I heard.”

“And?” Gabriel presses, his fingers still enjoying the feel of Dean’s soft skin, even despite the scars there from his recent hellish trip. 

“I do. I always feel safe with you.”

“Good.” _Perfect._

“But...” Dean lifts himself up and makes eye contact with the archangel. “I don’t want to talk about it.” _Nothing new there._

“Okay,” Gabriel relents, realizing this is one of those times where the last thing he should be doing is crossing a boundary. He’s thrilled that his mate even wants the attention he’s giving him right now and not demanding personal space and silence. Right now, he feels very _very_ giving. “Want me to finish your back rub?” Because if he can give Dean anything, it would be this. 

“Yeah, that actually sounds great.” Dean flips over on his stomach again, his arms folding around the nearest pillow as he clutches it to his chest. For one long, beautiful moment, Gabriel just looks down at Dean, his fingers working their magic, and realizes just how lucky he is to have such an amazing human to spoil and obsess over and _love uncontrollably._

For now, he’s not gonna ruin it all by pushing. He’ll save that for tomorrow.


	19. Can't Say No, Can't Let Go

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He’s over complicating things, with Gabriel it’s hard not to. But one thing he needs to keep in mind is that Dean’s happy, and isn’t that always his goal besides keeping the two of them alive?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Late Season 6 or onward, I’ll just let the reader pick. Teen.
> 
> I know I write a lot in Sam’s perspective but I think it’s really important that he respects what Dean and Gabriel want to have, otherwise I think their relationship wouldn’t really work. For one thing, Sam is Dean’s entire world and his little brother’s happiness is a major priority. Sure, some may argue that Dean could still ditch Sam in favor of Gabriel, but I don’t think that’s ever likely to happen. I think what I really like most is getting into Sam’s head, experimenting with his primary emotion towards Gabriel; hate, and then expanding his mind a little and seeing the effect the archangel truly has on Dean. More often than not, I’m pretty positive Sam would be okay with the two together, as long as he could see that Dean was happy. With that being said, I hope you enjoy this and won’t try to kill me due to another Sam centered one. Okay, gonna shut up now.
> 
> Set to Cold’s ‘A Different Kind of Pain’

_~A different kind of pain_  
_someone there to hold you~_

 

The shadow sends Sam into a state of panic for a brief moment before he wills his mind to concentrate so he can make out who it is. It doesn’t take long. He walks forward, a sudden rage akin to lava boiling up from within him, nearly blinding him. Sam thought he told him to leave and never come back, he recalled himself saying that he wasn’t welcome, wasn’t trusted not to play mind games on his brother, if he wasn’t already. 

He thought he screamed at Gabriel to go to hell and never come back. To never think of Dean again, no matter how appetizing. 

At the time, it looked miraculously like the archangel was going to obey, that he wasn’t about to wrench the shotgun from Sam’s grip and point it at the wall instead of him with deadly purpose. It looks like his words had really fallen upon deaf ears though, considering he was back not even five hours later. 

It terrified him to see his brother so vulnerable, so utterly oblivious to the archangel’s presence. Sam didn’t know what he would say this time, he wasn’t even sure what he should do. Maybe shooting him wasn’t such a bad idea. With that thought, he turned around silently, pissed that he had to leave his brother alone with him but desperate enough to take action, and started to walk out of the room, but not before his voice stilled him. 

“I don’t care anymore. Don’t you see that?” Gabriel’s head swivels towards his own and Sam can see his eyes glow a rich, vivid amber in the darkness. Sam wondered how many times they had drawn Dean to his doom. “Go ahead and kick me out. All’s I care about now is Dean being safe. And if you want to kill me for it, go right ahead.” Gabriel sounds so lost, Sam only feels confused. 

He takes one long hard look at the sight before him; Gabriel’s hand splayed out on Dean’s cheek and his brother’s lines of pain once etched clearly into his forehead dissipating. His touch also eases the tension out of Dean’s shoulders and causes him to breathe a soft sigh of contentment. All without waking up. 

Maybe this is all his brother will ever need. Maybe Sam should put his own needs aside knowing that it’s been made clear to him the archangel is no threat. Looking down at Dean, even deep within the throes of a pleasant sleep, he can tell that he’s happy. That Gabriel’s presence fills him with a certain kind of joy Sam could never provide him. 

And as far as he’s concerned, that should be enough for him. 

“I’m sure he will be,” Sam smiles and Gabriel looks up at his hand dropping down to hold Dean’s still one. “If he’s got an archangel protecting him.”

Gabriel can barely hold back excitement. No, Sam doesn’t have to be okay with all this, him being with Dean whenever his sweet tooth is on a rampage, but it sure will be a hell of a lot easier on him now, so long as he doesn’t blow it. As long as Sam, the giant Sasquatch, never feels like he has to corner him if ever the archangel should slip up. Cause that would mean him leaving permanently, and that would be downright miserable and infuriating. 

But now he can stay. Now Sam will no longer badger him and make inane death threats against him and shield Dean from his hungry gaze. 

And what a truly beautiful thing that is after all. 

When Sam leaves the room, he slips under the covers alongside Dean and holds him tight. He has no intention of ever letting this perfect creature go.


	20. Formidable

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ‘It was common sense, the way they looked at each other. The way they clung to each other as if they were stuck, glued together and didn’t mind it being that way. What they had was unbreakable.’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Teen. The moments in the present are set late Season 8, the past ones are set early to mid Season 8. So of course, spoilers for the Season 7 Finale.
> 
> Set to Live’s ‘The Dolphin’s Cry’

_~And I was swept away, with nothing left to say_  
_Some helpless fool~_

 

Gabriel remembers how long it used to take before Dean drifted off into sleep. He had major trust issues, especially towards the archangel himself, back then. They would go through what seemed like hours of snarky dialogue, frustration, denial and lies hanging thick in the air between the both of them, Gabriel pushing and Dean pushing back. The hunter couldn’t win for too long though, which pleased Gabriel to no end. Eventually the hunter drifted off, albeit tense beyond belief and uneasily but still, he would sleep and Gabriel would revel in it. Just some peace and quiet, some ample time to watch Dean like a hawk. 

Until the nightmares of purgatory started up again and never went away. 

His mate would writhe against him, groan and whimper as he tossed and turned, skin grating harshly and quickly against Gabriel’s, oblivious to the archangel and crying out as if he truly believed no one cared for him, that no one was watching out for him. Like hell. Gabriel would always be there, forever wrap his arms around Dean when no one else would, when no one else was there who could. He would make Dean feel loved and protected, even if that was the last thing the hunter felt when secluded from reality for just that short amount of time. 

He could feel Castiel on Dean’s mind but it didn’t bother him anymore. And he couldn’t complain because Dean had been fine for most of the months since he came back. These nights were just an unfortunate side effect. One that Gabriel was happy to deal with because he was happy to be granted the chance to be in Dean’s life permanently. 

It hadn’t been much different when he was awake though. He would tense up under Gabriel’s watchful gaze and deny any ounce of comfort Gabriel decided to give him. He admits he would back down, half the time anyway, and the rest he would step forward and embrace Dean, ignoring the words muffled into his shirt that he hated chick flick moments and needed personal space, and ignoring his hands weakly attempting to shove him away. It didn’t matter, none of it did. 

Gabriel loved Dean, and he would show that to him at every possible second. Gabriel needed Dean, needed him so much he just had to have that close connection. They would fight and they would give in but they would never deny what they had. Despite the hurtful words his mate would say and the stressful times where he would walk right out the door, he never denied that he loved and needed Gabriel too. 

It was common sense, the way they looked at each other. The way they clung to each other as if they were stuck, glued together and didn’t mind it being that way. What they had was unbreakable. 

What they had was formidable. 

Yes, Gabriel remembers the months of Dean pushing him away and denying his internal pain. He reminisces upon the joy of forcing Dean towards him and holding him so tightly he’d complain he needed oxygen or Gabriel would be holding a corpse in only a matter of seconds. He remembers the feel of Dean pushing him away to no avail, him prodding at Dean to open up, to spill whatever was on his mind. Gabriel even drifts away to those moments with the hunter in the middle of the night, trying to be so discreet it made it hard for the archangel to hold back a chuckle, entwining his hands with his own, pressing himself closer to Gabriel and breathing in his scent. 

It’s not like this anymore, well, except that last part. Now Dean throws himself at Gabriel with gorgeous grins and lustful looks and could give a damn whether it’s freaking sappy or desperate or whatever. Now he opens up when Gabriel presses and sometimes even when he doesn’t. Damn, the archangel is especially proud of that last part. 

He can’t say that he loves him more, because he loves Dean no matter what he’s like, no matter his moods or how frequently he pushes him away. His mate is special, always in his mind and forever in his heart. Like Dean Winchester himself would say, a pie not only worth tasting by savoring every drop of and then aching for more, unlimited amounts. Gabriel doesn’t want his hunter any other way, despite his faults and his infuriating nature to lack any ounce of self-worth, the archangel finally has something he can be proud to call his own.


	21. Can't Explain this Fixation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the brief moment, the rose a memento of exactly what he isn’t sure, Dean starts feeling weird. A little too weird for his liking.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Teen. Spoilers for Season 3’s ‘Mystery Spot’, which means in Dean’s point of view Gabriel is Loki but in Gabriel’s it’s of course Gabriel, which is why I used both intentionally. This turned out a little different than expected, but I’m extremely satisfied.
> 
> Set to Fall Out Boy’s ‘The (After) Life of the Party’

_~Could it last?_  
_Watch you work the room~_

 

“Hey!” 

The hunter looks up. Loki’s about four steps away from him, a red rose twirling delicately in between his fingers. He starts walking around Dean, widening the distance between them with each step. 

Dean doesn’t know why, but this burns somewhere deep inside him. 

He misses Sam, he honestly can’t say it enough, in his head anyway, and he wonders what the hell Loki wants with him here, in a vacant warehouse on an empty dance floor, acting, what Dean supposes anyway, romantic and playing hard to get. 

So no, Dean doesn’t understand any of this at all. 

“What am I doing here?”

“You’re here,” Loki grins, “for my own benefit.”

“Yeah.” Dean crosses his arms. “But why?”

The trickster sighs and places the flower on the counter near him. He takes a step closer to the hunter but Dean takes a step back. He doesn’t like this. He doesn’t feel _comfortable_ with this. 

“Where’s Sam?”

“Safe. Pissed at me,” he adds. “But perfectly fine.”

“And what is he doing right now?” Dean presses.

“Sleeping.”

“How can I know that for sure?”

“Gee, Deano. You never let up, do ya?”

“No freaking way. Wanna know why?” He steps up to Loki now, his intention to make this up close and personal, to make sure Loki knows his opinion of him. “Cause I don’t trust you. And,” he adds with great emphasis, “I don’t like you. In fact, I could give a rat’s ass about you.”

Gabriel bites his tongue, he wants to tell Dean that he should care because he is the one killing him over and over to drill a hard truth into his little brother’s skull which he should have known ages ago. He doesn’t say a word though because he likes Dean, admires him and generally wants to be friends. Okay, that last one was a lie. He wants Dean permanently, as a mate, has intention to mark him and make him his. 

The problem? He wants the human to want it. He wants the human to beg for it. So hells yeah, he’s gonna keep his cool and try not to piss Dean off further. 

“Fine,” he turns away and picks the rose up again, handing it over to Dean, making sure the human sees his genuine smile. Dean takes it, surprisingly. “Just keep this as a token of my affection. I’ll send you back now.”

The room and Loki are gone before the hunter can take a decent breath. 

 

Two days later of Sam mother-henning him to death and keeping him within close range at all times, something which is freaking Dean out way too much, he begins to feel a strange sensation pulsating in his gut. He fingers the petals of the rose that’s grasped in his hand in a daze. 

He feels empty, and after hours of thinking about why suddenly Loki pops up in his head, for no reason at all and the memory of him pacing on the colorful dance floor, his eyes never leaving Dean’s, eases the ever-present ache in his chest just a little. He calls out for him on a perhaps foolish whim, when his brother’s not around of course. Dean doesn’t have to wait long, Loki shows up barely three seconds later, grinning down at Dean. Smug bastard. 

“Okay,” Dean tells him, standing up, suddenly wishing he didn’t as he’s simultaneously whisked back to the warehouse. “I admit...,” he’s cut off when Loki wraps his arms around him and pulls him down to a bed instead of the hardwood flooring that was only there a moment before. 

His changeable, quite addictive kisses last for quite a while and then he pulls away for a second. Dean looks up at him, feeling strangely happy. 

“By the way, the name’s Gabriel.”

“What the...?”


	22. They're Not Usually This Touchy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gabriel tries to make old friends understand that Dean is his, his own; to love and flirt with and protect at all costs. But no matter how much he tries, they never seem to understand. Both Loki and Gabriel are used intentionally because in Dean’s mind, Gabriel is Loki and in Gabriel’s, Gabriel.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mature, just for language I guess. Set at anytime after Season 5.
> 
> Set to Rihanna’s ‘What’s My Name?’

_~Say you gotta leave, but I know you wanna stay_  
_You just waiting on the traffic jam to finish~_

 

There are hands constantly touching Dean, fingers brushing through his hair and clawing his clothes, fingernails brushing deeply along his neck, drawing blood, and latching onto his lips like they own them. 

Not one of them owns Dean. _He does._

Underneath the hunter’s pissed off facade, the archangel can see a panic so raw it frightens him. He steps in and starts talking, the others don’t seem to listen. Or they don’t seem to care, most likely the latter. His voice rises but still, no change, and Gabriel doesn’t want to give away the fact that he is an archangel to them. Dean doesn’t even know this. He’s going to wait, he’s not ready for that yet. Dean doesn’t need to be put through that yet. 

Dean shoves someone getting too feisty off of him but only gets a slap in the face in return. He reels, fist ready to punch the shit out of that certain someone until he finds he’s flat on his back on the ground and they are all, about a dozen of them, crawling over him and Dean Winchester wonders why the hell he didn’t bring any weapons. 

Cause Loki told him to, told him he wanted to take him to meet some of his friends and now Dean’s the sucker for it.

His mouth opens to call out for Loki but decides better at the last minute. He can defend his own honor, protect himself, he doesn’t need Loki to fight his battles for him...

“Fuck!” He screams when one of them sinks teeth deep into his neck. And they better not be fangs. 

He bites down on his lip to shake himself away from the pain, it helps him to focus, concentrate on a way out of this mess. 

As soon as Loki had introduced him, they had jumped on top of him, as if they couldn’t control themselves from touching every inch of him, claiming every area as theirs with no regard to or permission from Loki. Probably cause he already gave it.

His fists go flying again but then he is pinned down by all too many hands at once. He can’t fight them, they’re all too strong, demi-gods, goddesses and who the hell knows what else. Why the fuck did Loki bring him here, is this some sort of punishment?

There are moans, gasps and growls from every direction, someone who he can’t turn his head to see whispering dirty words in his ear. And that’s all he feels just about now; filthy and tainted and not Loki’s. Just someone’s playmate, to be bent under someone other than Loki’s will, to be toyed with and lied to and wait... if the trickster wants to share him then he did lie. He had threatened the hunter that if he even stared at some chick for more than a single second, he would kill him slowly and painfully. And then he had promised... promised that he was Dean’s and no one else’s. 

That son of a bitch.

He would give Loki a death glare if he could right now, focus on him and not all of these bodies and limbs, turn his head without feeling like it would snap off his neck. Teeth sink down into his arm and he fights, fucking shouting and screaming and shoving as they start to strip him down. All to no avail. The fight refuses to run out of him though, he isn’t Loki’s anymore to control, to satisfy his fucked up games. 

Loki will pay... oh yes, he will pay. 

“Enough!” Gabriel shouts, only a few pitches lower than his highest capability, still not wanting to give his true self away. They pull away and look up at him with shock and disappointment. He finds Dean’s eyes and sees they are wide and furious and Gabriel swallows hard. _Uh oh._

“Dean,” he holds his hand out and Dean takes no time to get up. He isn’t fool enough to refuse him, and as soon as they touch they are gone. 

That’s when the rage hits maximum. 

“What the fuck is wrong with you? That was your plan?” Dean screams, “To feed me to your friends? I hate you.” He spits out hard before trudging out of the room and slamming the door shut so hard behind him that it shakes on its hinges immensely. Dean doesn’t look back, but Loki grabs his hand from behind and forces their eyes together. 

“That wasn’t my plan. They’re not usually like...”

“I don’t care. I...”

Loki suddenly rubs his fingers gently, possessively over the mark he had made recently on the naked skin of his hunter’s chest. It was to claim him, to make sure that anyone who noticed it would automatically know that this person belonged solely to him, and that they would experience a fate far worse than hell if they should ever think differently. 

“You are mine, Dean. I could have left you to their whims, but I didn’t. Don’t forget that.”

“Yeah yeah, but you’re gonna have a hell of a job making it up to me.”

“I know it,” Gabriel nods, not bothering to deny. _I’ll be showering you with more affection than you can handle._ He smiles, knowing in the days to come he’ll be annoying the hunter to no end. After all though, it’s what he does best. He winks at his mate and whisks them back into the privacy of their own room.


	23. Good, Though Not Really

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gabriel leaves unexpectedly. Gabriel comes back unexpectedly. Dean knows which one he prefers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Teen. Set during the second half of Season 6.
> 
> Set to Coldplay’s ‘Sparks’

_~I know what you’ll say_  
_You’ll say, “Oh sing one we know.”~_

 

Gabriel missed Dean. He knew it would happen, it was bound to happen eventually, but it took him three weeks until he would let himself go to him, till he claimed that, okay, being away from Dean was unbearable and stupid and Dean deserved better. He deserved just automatically knowing that he could count on Gabe, that he would always be there without him having to say a single word. 

So Gabriel went back to Dean. And he could only hope that in the hunter’s eyes he would see someone who had missed him back. That he would see relief among maybe a million other things. Just to see that Dean’s love for him couldn’t be broken would be enough. Enough to make him think long and hard about leaving out of the blue again. 

So the archangel appeared in the room quietly, several steps behind Dean, where he was pouring through books. Gabriel’s gaze led him to the lone bed and he ached at the sight of a duffel bag on top of it, already filled with clothes and several other belongings. Dean was all too set to leave and he thought he might know why. It was his fault, it wasn’t like he could expect Dean to just stay and wait for him as long as the archangel saw fit. He looked back towards Dean and waited for him to notice. 

Dean felt Gabriel but he didn’t want to turn around to face him. If anything, he should have every right to without feeling shame where he should only feel rage. If anything, Gabriel should be embarrassed and getting down on the floor and begging Dean to take him back. The hunter didn’t feel like this at all though and swallowed, only hoping that the archangel didn’t think he was ignoring him. 

He didn’t want to ignore Gabriel but he didn’t want to see him either; he had already made up his mind about leaving. Even if it was true that Gabriel could find him anywhere and everywhere, somehow leaving seemed definite to him, something that couldn’t be undone or looked past. He wanted Gabriel to see his intentions, he wanted to see his reaction. 

The hunter turned another page and pretended to read, thinking about what he could say that would make any damn difference. He wanted to wrap his arms around Gabriel and never let him go, wanted to scream at him and punch him and make him leave again, only hoping he would stay because Gabriel gone from his side was the last thing he wanted. Dean sighed and turned around in an instant, refusing to give himself room to turn back and rethink this all over again. The archangel watched him with eyes filled with relief and sorrow and impatience. Though more than anything else there, Dean saw hesitance. He wasn’t sure whether it scared him or excited him. 

“Hey,” Gabriel took a step forward. Dean let him. 

“Hey.”

“Figured it was about time to come back, see you again.” 

Dean nodded, crossing his arms. He wasn’t gonna make this any easier on him, he decided. 

Gabriel swallowed hard, “How are you by the way?”

The hunter thought about that for a minute. He felt like shit, felt neglected and hated and unloved. Gabriel could read it but that didn’t mean Dean was going to say it for his own benefit. Gabriel always had that effect on him, he wasn’t going to justify his feelings or admit to them or make Gabriel understand them. He already did. Gabriel is there again and that’s all that mattered. 

“Good,” Dean answered, labeling it as being honest but it was anything but. He was a wreck without Gabriel around, he couldn’t do anything without thinking of him. Dean couldn’t help but smile wide, “But better now that you’re here.”

Gabriel smiled back and broke the final few steps between them. He had a lot of time to make up with Dean, might as well start right then and there. He already had an idea what he wanted to start with first. 

“If you leave again without telling me, I’m kicking your ass.”

“Fair enough,” Gabriel agreed.


	24. Let's Take Advantage

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gabriel is feeling way too needy and Dean knows something must be off. Will the two make a good mixture or spell out disaster?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Teen, I suppose. I’d like to say this is set in the future, preferably early to mid Season 8. I had a lot of fun with this one, hope you enjoy the read.
> 
> Set to Chevelle’s ‘Sleep Apnea’

_~I gasp and hold my breath_  
_These needs had changed so deep~_

 

“Come on, Dean,” he pleaded, nudging himself against the hunter, pressing him for attention and for his strong hands to just rub all over his skin roughly and desperately. 

Dean just flipped the channel and sighed. “Jesus, Gabe. What’re you, three?” Gabriel’s eyes were just so huge and incredibly hard not to give into, no great surprise there. Though Dean held himself back. He never got a moment’s peace anymore without Gabriel begging him for something. 

‘Oh, Dean! Can you run to the store and get me some skittles and licorice? I’ve completely run out.’

‘Conjure it up yourself like you’ve always done before and just let me fucking sleep!’

‘Dean dean dean. Hey, Dean! Wanna go try out the jacuzzi and maybe give me a back rub while you’re at it? What can I say, you’ve got magic hands...'

‘Gabriel! For the love of... Shut up!’

The hunter tried to pleasantly explain to him that he was a human and therefore needed sleep and food and showers and some quiet time, oh, maybe more than one goddamn minute a week. But no, the archangel didn’t get it at all, and Dean certainly didn’t imagine living with him would be this exhausting. He wasn’t gonna say bad, because he loved Gabriel and wouldn’t want to hurt his feelings, but yes, if it hadn’t turned sort of bad already, then it was about to in the next few days. 

It was no use leaving the room, or locking himself in the bathroom, getting into his baby and driving away to clear his head didn’t make the archangel go away. He just popped up in the backseat, as shotgun, hell, even on top of the hunter once and even though Gabriel’s groping hands might have been welcome at any other moment, that time was certainly not it. 

“Dean...”

He growled and rolled away. Gabriel sighed loudly behind him and crossed his arms, landing unceremoniously in a chair before standing back up again and collapsing into bed with Dean, wrapping his arms around him, nice warm arms that made the hunter melt and sigh contentedly and...

“Wait a minute,” he sat up. “Have you been feeling off lately?”

Gabriel shrugged and snuggled in closer to his chest. 

“Like say...,” Dean racked his brain, searching for an answer he knew was there. “A need for attention you can’t shake, like your hands always belong on some other person otherwise what use do they have?”

“Oh, Dean.” Gabriel smiled and Dean glanced down at him, at his flexible form slithering down dangerously lower. The hunter swallowed and cleared his head; they had no time for any of that. “Don’t you want me?” Gabriel continued, “Just the way I am?”

“Yeah, but a week ago you weren’t like this at all, a week ago Sam came and you were just fi...”

Dean shoved the archangel away from him and Gabriel groaned loudly, not pissed necessarily but aching from the lack of touch. Dean finished his previous sentence, the realization finally dawning on him and it was about damn time, “And you were just fine.” _Till he left, of course._

He dragged himself out of bed and grabbed his coat off the nearest chair, quickly slipping it on. He thought about how Sam could have done it, cursed an archangel without him even noticing just for kicks. Hell, if Gabriel knew he’d have been proud. But Dean... Dean is anything but happy. 

“Where are you going?” Gabriel shouted after him, pouting. But it didn’t matter, cause Dean was so gonna kick Sam’s ass. 

Barely five minutes later and he thought about it, really thought about the whole situation... and came to the conclusion while heading back in an instant, that maybe he should take advantage of Gabriel while he could. Images started dancing through his head, and he didn’t even try to shake them because they were far too freaking amazing. _Oh yeah, take advantage is right. Here I come to get me some horny archangel action._


	25. A Very Kick-Ass Life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It isn’t until Gabriel dies that he decides living life and living alone and unhappily isn’t the same thing at all. Luckily, he may get another chance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Teen. Set not even a week after the events of Season 5’s ‘Hammer of the Gods’.
> 
> Set to Tool’s ‘Stinkfist’

_~It’s not enough. I need more._  
_Nothing seems to satisfy.~_

 

“Live your life,” Gabriel says as he shrugs off his jacket and sets his all too questionable sights on the hunter before him, standing tall and proud, a mixture of confusion and disbelief at suspecting the truth awash on his cheeks and in his eyes. “Don’t pay mind to anything but what you want.”

Dean’s thought about this mentality before but never accepted it. When he was younger he would go after women when he wanted to, but it was never with infamous, unquenchable desire. 

“You want me.” He tries to form it into a question but it won’t come.

“No,” Gabriel smirks and slides right past him; Dean doesn’t turn around or follow him. “I want your brother.”

“You want Sam.”

The trickster who’s actually an archangel doesn’t nod or walk back towards him. More than anything, Dean’s psyche, hell, every part of Dean needs an answer. Guessing can be dangerous, assuming and acting based on that assumption is something he isn’t planning on falling for any time soon. He doesn’t want to be sprawled out underneath Gabriel, looking up at him and wondering what the hell he’s gonna do if he chooses not to smite. 

But that same archangel saved his and his brother’s lives not even a week before, and if he can’t trust him at least with his life, just a little bit, than Dean doesn’t think he can trust anyone, not even if he really kinda wants to. 

Gabriel doesn’t care about that, doesn’t care about what he’s thinking or feeling or guessing for that matter. So Dean won’t turn around to give him something he no doubt wants, to poke and prod and melt under Gabriel’s whims. Dean Winchester won’t become an archangel’s submissive. 

“You honestly can’t guess what I _really_ want?”

He closes his eyes tightly and opens them again as he’s turning around. _Shit._

There’s nothing there, no sneaky, undeniably taunting and annoying trickster. There’s no voice that reminds Dean of how much Gabriel doesn’t shut up, no face proving to him how much of a game he really believes life to be. And if the archangel doesn’t take life seriously, then why the hell should the hunter care what he has to have? Why should he give a fuc...?

A tap on his shoulder and he falls for it because his guards have been lowered unwillingly (knows Gabriel is laughing at this), reels and stumbles back when he realizes just how close the archangel is to him, pretty much nose to nose. He pulls back but Gabriel holds him in place with a firm hand. 

“Go on,” he presses, “guess.”

“Why?”

“Because, I’m dying to hear what you have to say.”

“You want Sam and you want me to know,” Dean doesn’t bother fighting him. “You want me to hate you for it and plan to kill you for it and feel jealousy but I don’t, I don’t feel anythi...” 

Gabriel breaks the minuscule distance and smashes their mouths together, his fingers raking through Dean’s hair and down his neck, turning him considerably on. 

“Care to rethink?”

Dean just smiles and forcefully stops that mouth. It was Gabriel who told him to live his life, and it’s because of Gabriel that he plans on sharing a very kick-ass life with the archangel himself.


	26. Don't You Know I'm Made For You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A bored and melancholic Castiel examines the curiosity that is Dean and Gabriel. Sam tries to make things better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Teen. Set sometime after Cas and Dean come back from purgatory, probably mid Season 8 in my mind. As always, enjoy.
> 
> Set to Smashing Pumpkins ‘Today’

_~Today is the greatest day_  
_That I have ever really known~_

 

Castiel sits at the small, rickety table in their lone motel room. He’s long ceased paying attention to Sam, eyes glued on his laptop and fingers occasionally typing with a clack clack sound that breaks an uneasy silence. When Sam gets in research mode, not much can pull him out of it, let alone a bored angel. 

His eyes stay transfixed on the sight across the room: Dean and Gabriel sprawled out on the couch, arguing back and forth and laughing the next second like they weren’t just giving each other angry glares barely a moment before. Cas has long gotten used to the sight of Gabriel feeding pie to Dean and the both of them kissing nonstop for hours, only breaking away so Dean can draw decent breath. It still disgusts Sam though, enough for him to make strange choking noises and turn away, seeing if the angel feels the same. He doesn’t, if anything Castiel probably feels the exact human emotion of jealousy, not that he knows everything about humans and their complex array of feelings. 

He sighs, loudly, and Sam finally draws his eyes away from his computer and up towards him. His eyebrows scrunch together adorably to show confusion. There’s a lot Cas likes about Sam, which is probably why he hangs around him so much. 

“What?”

Castiel looks away, wondering if Gabriel knows he’s watching his endless array of affection and lust, or already knows and merely wants to rub it in his face. Gabriel would definitely agree to the latter. He examines every inch of Sam’s face, which he often does because it’s somewhat enjoyable, and shrugs as best as he can for a once angel of the lord. 

“Nothing, Sam.”

“Don’t you have stuff to do?” He asks, even though he’s perfectly aware that the angel has nothing to do anymore and even if he did, Sam would protest at the emptiness of the room without him there. Cas just shrugs again and looks back at the foreign scene, wishing sometimes that he could experience exactly what Gabriel and Dean are experiencing. Sam follows his line of sight and eyes the angel strangely. 

“Why do you always watch them? Doesn’t it gross you out?” Castiel doesn’t answer and Sam puts the lid of his laptop down. “Cas, I...”

“You need not concern yourself over me, Sam. I’m perfectly aware you and Dean do not have the same way of doing things.”

Sam just smiles uneasily, “You know I’m made for you, right? You know that to be together, we don’t need to do... whatever it is they’re doing right now. Ugh,” Sam turns away from the quickly heating up scene. 

Castiel nods, but his thoughts drift back towards the other two lovers, “Do you ever wonder what makes them so suited to each other?”

“It’s just love, Cas. You can’t explain it,” Sam struggles for the words, “it’s complicated. That’s all.”

The angel nods again, beginning to think he’s understanding just that little bit better. Sam always tries to make things easier for him, and he does a good job most of the time. But Dean and Gabriel tend to always send him into a frenzy more often than not. Sam gets in his face though, and makes him turn away. 

“Are you really gonna let them both have all the fun?”

Castiel can’t stop smiling once he starts even if he wanted to.


	27. Witch's Curse

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A witch curses Dean so that he is able to see Gabriel’s true form, yet of course said witch does not have the ability or the interest to make the consequences harmless. Dean remembers to keep his eyes shut for a few days, but then Gabriel has to resort to other means to keep his boyfriend safe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Teen. No spoilers. Not set during any specific season. I guess I was just in the mood to write a vulnerable Dean and a mischievous, capable and slightly angry Gabriel. There’s just so much possibility and fun to be had with these two. I do plan on finishing these drabbles up pretty soon, with #30 probably being the last one. I may start another drabble set, but for right now I’m focusing on pieces for bangs, exchanges and the like. Thanks for reading and stay tuned for more! 
> 
> Set to Snow Patrol’s ‘Wow’

_~Don't_ _be scared of anything at all_  
_Everything we have is all we need~_

 

The soft, tell-tale sound of wings flapping caused Dean to shut his eyes immediately. The action was something he had to think about, but he knew full well the consequences if he kept his eyes open.

This time he hadn't been sitting down. Now he was standing in an eerily silent room, waiting for _his_ hands to lead him to where he wanted him to go.

“Sam's still looking.”

Dean swallowed and nodded, turning red at the fact that he was still standing there, Gabriel staring at him with no doubt a huge smirk on his face. Dean couldn't see a damn thing, and he was the one left vulnerable because of it. Gabriel could manipulate him and trick him any way he wanted.

He swallowed again, trying to keep his frustration from morphing into easy to see worthlessness. He didn't dare try to move, he had done it several times before and ended up bumping into something and falling on his ass, or the subject of Gabriel's laugher at his slow movements and outstretched hands.

Gabriel was really good at being a dick.

Then again, Dean had been the one to piss off a witch. Had been the one who got himself into this situation.

Gabriel must be in a good mood today. His hand curled around Dean's wrist and Dean immediately relaxed, sighing shakily in relief. He was so done looking like an idiot, but it wasn’t over yet.

“You want me to draw you a bath?”

“No, thanks. That would be an easy way to slip and break my neck.” So would taking a shower, but he doesn't say that either. He hadn't bathed in days, and it was just another thing to feel self-conscious about.

“Now come on,” Gabriel squeezed his wrist, “you know I would never let that happen.”

He had the urge to open his eyes - just for a minute - but he should have known that Gabriel could read him too easily.

“Don't,” he warned, his grip tightening on the human's wrist and causing him to wince. “I know this is hard for you, feeling like you're not in control.”

“Ya think?”

On his last hunt, Dean had the good fortune to piss off a witch and she had retaliated by cursing him into being able to see Gabriel's true form. Unfortunately, if Dean kept his eyes open _to_ witness Gabriel's true form, he would definitely be blinded and maybe even killed, such would be the shocking display of the brutal limits of being a mere human.

Gabriel had been pissed at him to say the least, and so had his brother, but Dean merely ignored them, closed his eyes and waited out the storm. Perhaps it was the ultimate test of their relationship: seeing how much he could trust the archangel.

“Sam's looking for a way to break the curse as we speak. You just need to give us some time.”

Time. It was all about time, wasn't it? “Of course, you'd probably love it if the curse was never broken, wouldn't you?” His words were bitter and that was all he felt at the moment, just downright _bitter_. “The sex would be a helluva lot better for you, that's for damn sure....”

Gabriel put his hands on his arms and slammed him against a wall before he could continue. “You think this is better for me?” He seethed, “You think that not being able to see you look at me is what I want?”

“Gabe...,” he started, but he knew he couldn't take back what he said. Dean Winchester, always opening his mouth and saying the wrong thing.

“Open your eyes.”

“What?”

“Open your eyes,” Gabriel repeated. He didn't sound angry anymore, just impatient and frustrated.

Dean trusted him, he didn't know what it was about the archangel that would make him want to trust him. He knew Gabriel would never intentionally do anything to hurt him. He knew Gabriel loved him.

So he opened his eyes.

When he opened them there was darkness, a gripping cold and panic. He started to breathe hard, hands clenching into fists, eyes blinking rapidly. It had happened. He had opened his eyes and had been blinded by Gabriel's grace and now he was blind. He had trusted Gabriel, but Gabriel had been mad at him and he had told Dean to open his eyes and he did.

He was blind.

“There's a blindfold over your eyes, Dean. Just thought I'd let you know that before you have a heart attack or something.”

Dean growled, instinctively wanting to rip off the blindfold but gritting his teeth and keeping it on. “You better not get any ideas from this.”

“Oh, believe me, I've got plenty of ideas. Not being able to see your pretty green eyes though, I have to admit, it is a disappointment.” Dean blinked, not knowing how to respond to that last comment.

“You two are such girls,” Sam's familiar voice rang out just before the door slammed shut.

Dean didn't need his eyesight to see Gabriel smile.


	28. Waiting on My Moment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dean is convinced that Gabriel cares so little about him that he wouldn’t care if he were just gone. Gabriel knows how to read Dean’s signs, but it turns out he’s just as stubborn as the Winchesters.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Teen. This is set during the latter half of Season 6, when Sam has his soul back.
> 
> Set to Ashes of Soma’s ‘Time’

_~I am amazed how the timing has been blind_

_Leaving it up to my mind~_

 

Dean has been sulking for days now.

In actuality it’s been weeks, but he’s kept it inside for that long and can no longer. Life was good in some ways, but in others it absolutely sucked. Sam had his soul back and the bond between the brothers couldn’t be stronger, but Gabriel was also back too. He showed up a few days after Sam had his soul restored, whining about needing some place to stay, somewhere to lay low.

Sam was the one who gave in, despite all the shit he was still going through: the seizures, the hallucinations, the persistent fever. Dean had to say yes too though, and he did. He was really the only one to blame for all this, so whatever the hell it was that he was feeling, that was all due to him.

He said ‘sure, why not,’ despite Gabriel’s abrupt appearance bringing up such uncomfortable memories that had to be tampered down along with all the others Dean carried around on an hourly basis.

But Gabriel was helping Sam, using enough of his grace - no more so as to stay under the radar of heaven - to try to heal him. Little by little Dean started to notice improvements in Sam, that he could respond quicker, stay awake for longer periods of time and no longer had to hide migraines from Dean. No longer did the weight have to be solely on Dean’s shoulders because Gabriel was trustworthy and genuinely cared about Sam. Even without that weight though, there was stress of other kinds.

At the same time that Sam was starting to feel more like himself, Dean started to notice that his life was turning to shit.

He had never come to terms with his feelings for Gabriel. He had shoved them down where not even he could find them, which was practical really, for two reasons: first, he never thought Gabriel was coming back, and you can’t be in a relationship with a dead guy; and second, he knew Gabriel would never reciprocate those feelings that Dean didn’t even fully understand.

Sam was just in the other room, taking a nap, which was exactly why Dean wanted _zero_ conversations with Gabriel. Unfortunately, that wasn’t his decision to make. Gabriel sneaked into his room anyway, and Dean didn’t know how much longer he could keep those pesky feelings inside.

“What’s eating at you, kiddo?” That overly dramatic voice, as if Gabriel gave a flying fuck about him. No, instead Dean was falling hard like a freaking idiot.

Dean swallowed and turned his head to the side, hoping his face would be cast in enough shadow that Gabriel wouldn’t be able to see that his eyes were red and watery. He was being selfish; Sam was doing better and here he was, upset over something he knew he could never have in the first place. “You’re an archangel.” His voice felt raw and scratchy, and he knew he had no right to say what he wanted. No right to ask for it. “You tell me.”

“Dean....” Gabriel cursed under his breath and Dean flinched slightly. He sounded angry, but like he was trying to tamper it down. The tension in the room that was crushing Dean’s chest wouldn’t abate; Dean wouldn’t be able to say a damn thing. “Sam’s doing better.”

The hunter nodded and picked at one of the holes in his jeans, swiping a hand over his sweat-soaked face. His back was stiff because he wouldn’t uncurl from his hunched over position, and his stomach hurt due to too much alcohol and too little food. “I noticed. Thank you.”

Gabriel sighed heavily, pacing near the door. Dean never thought he could infuriate him, but it didn’t make him feel any better that he had that power over such an all-powerful being. “You don’t have to thank me, Dean.” The door shut and Dean was positive that Gabriel was now on the other side of it, but he jumped practically ten feet in the air when he felt a dip in the bed and realized that the archangel’s arm was slung over his shoulder. “You feelin’ neglected or something?”

 _Jesus._ Gabriel could be a pushy fucker at times. Dean had wanted Gabriel to just save it for Sam, had _expected_ that so Sam would no longer be able to hide things from him, but Dean was fine and he didn’t need that treatment.

“Why do you give a shit, Gabriel?”

The archangel who was completely breaching his personal space grinned. “Cause you’re my favorite Winchester.”

 _Liar._ Dean wanted to say it but he didn’t voice it. If he were to just wake up one day and decide to leave, then Gabriel wouldn’t really care. He and Sam would just keep living in their happy ending, a world where everything was good, a world that Dean was poisoning with his hopes and expectations now.

“You know I can still read thoughts, right?”

Dean’s face heated and he pushed himself off the bed, shoving Gabriel’s arm off him. It was just like Gabriel to poke around in Dean’s head, to see things that Dean didn’t want him to see. It was amazing that there wasn’t a disgusted look on Gabriel’s face.

He didn’t believe in miracles, but it was a miracle that Gabriel wasn’t telling Dean that he was a bad influence on his brother. With his disgusting _wants._  

“You never quit, do ya, kiddo?” The nickname was strained, and Dean was relieved to find Gabriel faking something because all of this was _fake._

Dean didn’t want to wait around anymore, didn’t want to sit in unbearable silence with Gabriel hovering over him, but if he tried to bolt then Gabriel would definitely know something was wrong, even more so than he did now, and it wouldn’t take long for him to put the pieces together. “What do you want, Gabriel?”

Gabriel looked up at him, amber eyes flashing gold. Or maybe it was just a trick of the light or something. “What do _you_ want, Dean?”

That was when he lost it. Gabriel playing his game he couldn’t handle, Gabriel being a stubborn and infuriating asshole he couldn’t take, and Gabriel trying to trick him he couldn’t bear any longer. “Jesus, Gabe... I want you, you stupid idiot. But don’t...,” he turned away again, biting the inside of his cheek. “But don’t say anything, just shut up and leave, okay?” As if that made any sense. “Cause I can’t take the silent treatment from you either.”

Dean could feel his mouth salivating as he glanced up to find Gabriel still staring at him, eyes so gold and penetrating that Dean whimpered. “Don’t....” Shit, he was really ruining himself here.

“Shut up.” Gabriel threw himself into Dean’s lap, shoving him down flat on his back and pressing a kiss to Dean’s throat, another to his brow, which he stroked with his thumb. Dean was balking under all the intimacy, shaking because Gabriel really _could_ see him now. “I was just waiting for you.”

 _Dick_ , Dean thought, but Gabriel smashed his mouth against Dean’s before he could say anything.


End file.
